Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Why Are You Yelling So Loud?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng visits the French Plane Tree, Dai Lego, to deliver a bottle of Red-Eyed Snake Mackerel essence extract.
• Dai Lego recognizes it as a valuable “enema,” but complains about its scarcity and about having suffered losses in previous trades with Liu Zheng.
• Liu asks Dai Lego for an item that can help him deal with the hostile security guard at Green Laurel Garden Crazy City, since his Legendary Deliveryman Persona will disappear after the delivery is completed.
• Dai Lego trades him a pair of Fashionable Skate Shoes, which can instantly propel the wearer one hundred meters away. Liu accepts, despite finding shoes uncomfortable on his hooves.
• Their exchange remains playful and antagonistic. Liu teases Dai Lego about his loneliness and digestive problems, while Dai Lego threatens to “poop him out.” Dai also boasts that he absorbed the nutrients of all the other trees, implying that he eliminated or consumed them.
• Liu returns to Green Laurel Garden and provokes the security guard by pounding on the booth window and demanding a cigarette.
• After Liu repeatedly lashes the window with his tentacles, the irritated guard gives him three cigarettes, apparently hoping Liu will soon be killed or driven away.
• Once inside the complex, Liu decides to visit the woman in apartment 606. He believes her writing has potential and hopes to persuade her to revise it so that it can secure a publishing contract.
• At apartment 606, the woman answers the door wearing only a bath towel. Liu openly stares at her, ending the chapter on a comedic and suggestive note.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng continues to demonstrate resourcefulness, shamelessness, and a talent for manipulating others through teasing and persistence. He identifies loopholes in Dai Lego’s claims and successfully pressures the security guard into giving him cigarettes.
• His confidence is increasing: rather than avoiding the security guard, Liu deliberately provokes him and enters the complex anyway.
• Dai Lego is shown to be proud, irritable, miserly, and embarrassed about his identity. He dislikes being called “Mr. Tree” or “Boss Dai,” and appears uncertain or secretive about his surname.
• Dai Lego’s history is expanded through his claim that he absorbed the nutrients of the other trees, revealing a selfish and possibly ruthless side beneath his comic personality.
• The security guard remains antagonistic toward Liu but is also easily worn down by him. His anger contrasts with Liu’s mischievous persistence.
• The young woman in 606 is reintroduced as someone whose writing Liu believes could succeed if revised. Her appearance also creates an immediate comedic distraction for Liu.

Significant Themes

• Trading and manipulation: Nearly every interaction is framed as a negotiation in which both sides attempt to gain the greatest advantage.
• Comedic antagonism: Conflict is handled through insults, exaggeration, and persistence rather than direct violence, especially in Liu’s interactions with Dai Lego and the guard.
• Resourcefulness and survival: Liu compensates for the temporary nature of his persona by acquiring practical tools, such as the single-use skate shoes.
• Loneliness and social isolation: Liu suggests Dai Lego is lonely because he remains alone among the black soil, though Dai responds by revealing that he has deliberately eliminated the other trees.
• Absurdity and irreverent humor: The chapter repeatedly undercuts threatening situations with jokes about enemas, tree digestion, cigarettes, yelling, and Liu’s shameless behavior.

Character Interactions

• Liu and Dai Lego maintain a humorous, adversarial friendship built on bargaining, sarcasm, and mutual distrust.
• Liu and the security guard engage in a battle of stubbornness: Liu’s deliberate noise and provocations eventually force the guard to cooperate.
• Liu’s interest in the woman at 606 combines business ambition—helping her improve her writing—with blunt, voyeuristic attraction.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng meets the mysterious girl from the previous chapter. She thanks him for helping revise her manuscript, which immediately passes editorial review and earns promotion.
• She offers him a reward, but Liu Zheng saves the favor for later, recognizing that her strength and unusual behavior may make her useful in the future.
• The girl refuses to give him her name, so Liu Zheng nicknames her “Novelist.” She then unexpectedly offers to show him her body, but he declines and leaves.
• Liu Zheng delivers food to Panda in Building 1. Unlike the other residents, Panda accepts and eats the restaurant’s intestine dish without hesitation.
• Panda immobilizes Liu Zheng and expresses interest in eating Liu Zheng’s own intestines, revealing himself as extremely dangerous. Liu Zheng survives only because he notices a loophole in the restaurant’s food-related rules.
• As Liu Zheng leaves Green Osmanthus Garden, he is ambushed by the hair monster associated with the security guard. The monster severs his lower body and all his tentacles, but Liu Zheng escapes using the Skate Shoes ability.
• The hair creature cannot pursue him beyond the residential complex and collapses after shrieking at him. Liu Zheng jokes that he will bring it cigarettes next time.
• Liu Zheng returns to the Bloodstained Restaurant by crawling on his stomach while waiting for his limbs and tentacles to regenerate.
• Cow-Horse is cooking a soup made from Underworld Ratfolk, whom he claims to have exterminated after they attempted to steal restaurant takeout. He calls the dish a rare aphrodisiac and offers some to Liu Zheng, who remains suspicious.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Becomes more cautious after realizing how easily Panda could have killed him. His confidence is tempered by the encounter, though he continues to use humor and composure to cope with danger. His memory and mental abilities are also highlighted when he memorizes the girl’s phone number instantly.
• Novelist: Her writing career improves because of Liu Zheng’s advice. She appears simultaneously shy, socially awkward, bold, and physically uninhibited, making her difficult for Liu Zheng to understand. Her refusal to reveal her name suggests that names may carry unusual significance in this world.
• Panda: Establishes himself as a powerful and predatory resident who views both food and living beings as potential sources of flesh. His calm manner and innocent appearance contrast sharply with his threatening nature.
• Cow-Horse: Remains grotesque, cheerful, and casually violent. He reveals that he can eliminate entire groups of enemies and has an unusual knowledge of bizarre ingredients and supernatural cuisine.
• Hair Monster/Security Guard: Demonstrates that the security guard has adapted his strategy, targeting Liu Zheng’s mobility first. The creature remains restricted by the boundaries of Green Osmanthus Garden.

Significant Themes

• Survival through rules and loopholes: Liu Zheng survives Panda because of the restaurant’s food restrictions, emphasizing that understanding supernatural rules is often more important than brute strength.
• False appearances: Panda looks like a harmless child, Novelist appears human despite her bizarre behavior, and the restaurant’s food resembles ordinary cuisine while being made from monsters.
• Growing awareness of vulnerability: Liu Zheng’s severe injury forces him to recognize that his recent confidence is premature and that stronger entities can still overwhelm him.
• Transactional relationships: Interactions are shaped by favors, food, threats, and potential usefulness rather than ordinary friendship or trust.
• Dark humor amid horror: Graphic violence and grotesque situations are presented through sarcasm and absurd comedy, helping Liu Zheng maintain emotional control.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Novelist establish a mutually beneficial relationship based on literary advice and a future favor, though their exchange is complicated by her refusal to share her name and her provocative offers.
• Liu Zheng and Panda interact through the restaurant’s delivery system. Panda accepts the food but immediately threatens to consume Liu Zheng, turning a routine delivery into a near-death encounter.
• Liu Zheng and the hair monster engage in an indirect confrontation: Liu Zheng escapes after being dismembered, while the creature is unable to leave the residential complex.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse return to their familiar banter, with Cow-Horse mocking Liu Zheng’s injuries and attempting to persuade him to eat a grotesque monster-based dish.

Chapter Summary: “Black Market”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cow-Horse tells Liu Zheng about the Black Market, an underground marketplace that opens after midnight and sells virtually anything to those who can pay. He claims a single night there can earn ten times the fortune Liu Zheng could make through his tree-related trading.
• Although the Black Market is extremely dangerous—with a claimed 99.9% chance of death—Liu Zheng immediately agrees to go, believing that the high rewards are necessary to clear his current trial and overcome the pressure of his betting agreement.
• Because delivery workers are forbidden to leave the break room without an order, Cow-Horse explains that his status as an Outstanding Employee allows him to leave and bring Liu Zheng with him. In exchange, Cow-Horse demands half of Liu Zheng’s earnings and warns that Liu Zheng would be vulnerable to monsters without his protection.
• To create a legitimate delivery order at midnight, Liu Zheng contacts Novelist, a customer he has previously dealt with, and asks her to place a delivery order with the longest possible delivery time. She agrees, though she teasingly demands that Liu Zheng stop looking at her body.
• Liu Zheng learns that Paradise Island vacation vouchers cost around 500,000, far beyond his normal income. He proposes that if the Black Market profits are enough to buy a single-person voucher, Cow-Horse should help him acquire one; if they fall short, Liu Zheng will still give Cow-Horse half.
• Cow-Horse refuses to share food with Liu Zheng after Liu has exhausted his supplies trading with the mysterious tree. Instead, Cow-Horse gives him a Sudoku magazine to occupy himself.
• Liu Zheng spends the entire day solving Sudoku, using it to restore his Sanity while waiting for midnight and the Black Market trip.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng is shown to be unusually fearless and pragmatic. Rather than being discouraged by the near-certain death risk, he sees danger as necessary for advancement. He also demonstrates resourcefulness by arranging a midnight delivery and negotiating a potentially life-changing deal with Cow-Horse.
• Liu’s interactions reveal his opportunistic and persistent nature. He repeatedly pesters Cow-Horse for food, water, or entertainment, yet remains calm and strategic when discussing the Black Market and Paradise Island.
• Cow-Horse is established as both a greedy and protective partner. He demands half of Liu Zheng’s profits, but also warns that Liu would be defenseless outside the restaurant and offers to escort him. His disbelief at Liu’s rapid relationship with Novelist adds a comedic, envious side to his character.
• Novelist continues to show a playful, flirtatious dynamic with Liu Zheng while still treating their relationship as a practical business arrangement.
• Liu Zheng’s continued use of Sudoku highlights his growing awareness of how to manage his mental state and survive within the strange rules of the world.

Significant Themes

• Risk versus reward: Liu Zheng accepts extreme danger because safe methods cannot help him progress quickly enough.
• Survival through rule exploitation: Rather than directly breaking the delivery-worker rules, Liu Zheng creates a valid order to gain permission to leave.
• Economic inequality and impossible goals: The enormous cost of Paradise Island emphasizes how far Liu Zheng is from achieving his objective and why he must seek unconventional sources of income.
• Transactional relationships: Nearly every interaction is based on exchange—Cow-Horse provides protection for half the profits, Novelist provides an order for a personal favor, and Liu Zheng turns his abilities and opportunities into survival resources.
• Sanity and self-maintenance: Sudoku serves as more than entertainment; it is a practical method for restoring Liu Zheng’s Sanity in a hostile environment.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse exchange constant insults and sarcastic remarks, but their hostility is balanced by mutual reliance.
• Cow-Horse mocks Liu Zheng’s apparent romantic interest in nonhuman women, while Liu challenges Cow-Horse about his poverty and dependence on employee meals.
• Liu and Novelist maintain a teasing, suggestive relationship built around favors and negotiated boundaries.
• Liu’s proposal regarding the vacation voucher shifts his relationship with Cow-Horse from simple employer-and-worker banter toward a potentially significant financial partnership.

Chapter Summary: “So You Think You’re Tough?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng awakens after becoming absorbed in a strange sudoku magazine, discovering that several hours have passed. Cow-Horse jokes that it would have kicked him awake if necessary.
• He prepares food offerings for the supernatural entities around him, including ramen, sushi, cola, and sake. Liu Zheng keeps the sake for the French Plane Tree, which seems to prefer alcohol.
• At midnight, Ghost Hand delivers a new order from Novelist. Still angry over Liu Zheng’s previous prank, Ghost Hand leaves the delivery slip and gives him the middle finger before retreating.
• The order is for Merfolk Egg Fried Rice, to be delivered to Room 606, Building 4, Green Laurel Garden, Crazy City, within three hours. Cow-Horse reveals that ordering from Bloodstained Restaurant is extraordinarily expensive, implying that Novelist has spent enough to support Liu Zheng’s work for a year.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse discuss the restaurant’s mysterious boss, who apparently enjoys being called ruthless and greedy and reportedly bathes in molten gold.
• Using a map, Liu Zheng identifies the Black Market as the destination. Its location overlaps with one of the marked areas on a letter he previously received. Cow-Horse identifies the other marked locations as Chaos Club, the Landfill, and City Hall.
• Cow-Horse warns Liu Zheng about Chaos Club, claiming that three City Hall teams entered it and none returned.
• Traveling outside at night, Liu Zheng experiences the oppressive danger of the city. Hidden creatures watch him from the darkness, and Cow-Horse explains that many would attack him if it were not present.
• Cow-Horse discovers and eats a strange creature emerging from beneath the road: a Moon Beast juvenile. The system identifies its corpse as a valuable item that can improve mentality and perception, though it carries risks of hallucinations or awakening the incompatible “Daughter of Isolation” bloodline.
• Liu Zheng refuses to eat the corpse, fearing further mutations after his previous transformation. Cow-Horse mocks him and continues toward the Black Market as hostile eyes and roars follow them.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains cautious and increasingly aware of the dangers and costs of the supernatural world. He demonstrates practical judgment by refusing the Moon Beast corpse despite its attractive system bonuses.
• He is also becoming more accustomed to dealing with bizarre entities, treating supernatural events—such as Ghost Hand’s insult and the restaurant’s gold-bathing owner—with dry humor rather than panic.
• Cow-Horse acts as Liu Zheng’s guide and protector during the nighttime journey. It is aggressive, gluttonous, and boastful, but its willingness to defend Liu Zheng and share potential profits shows a degree of investment in him.
• Ghost Hand is shown to be vindictive and easily angered, still holding a grudge over Liu Zheng’s earlier actions.
• Novelist appears increasingly important to Liu Zheng, spending an enormous amount on a customized delivery and demonstrating unusual loyalty or affection.

Significant Themes

• Danger beneath ordinary routines: Food deliveries, maps, and workplace meals conceal a world filled with lethal monsters and supernatural commerce.
• Trust and hidden relationships: Novelist’s expensive order suggests a meaningful connection with Liu Zheng, while Cow-Horse’s guidance indicates a complicated alliance built around mutual benefit.
• Power and risk: Supernatural items offer powerful abilities but may cause mutation, hallucinations, or uncontrollable transformations.
• Survival through caution and humor: Liu Zheng survives by staying alert, questioning everything, and using sarcasm to cope with the terrifying environment.
• The unknown city: Locations such as the Black Market, Chaos Club, and City Hall hint at a larger supernatural structure whose factions and dangers remain mysterious.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse banter constantly, with Cow-Horse mocking his behavior and Liu Zheng responding with skepticism and dry remarks.
• Cow-Horse teases Liu Zheng about Novelist being his “sweetheart,” while Liu Zheng insists they are only friends.
• Their argument over Chaos Club highlights their contrasting styles: Liu Zheng asks direct, serious questions, while Cow-Horse reacts irritably and uses threats humorously.
• Ghost Hand’s silent middle-finger gesture reflects its ongoing hostility toward Liu Zheng.
• Cow-Horse offers Liu Zheng part of the Moon Beast corpse, but Liu Zheng rejects it because of the potential consequences.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng following Cow-Horse into the dangerous night while unseen creatures track their progress.

Chapter Summary: “Friends Taste Good”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng hears Dai Lego, the French Plane Tree, singing a French ballad and goes to greet him, with Cow-Horse following reluctantly.
• Dai Lego is performing dramatically, using his roots, branches, bones, and other objects as part of an improvised percussion ensemble.
• Liu Zheng gives Dai Lego a bottle of sake as a friendly gift. Dai Lego initially assumes Liu wants something in return, but Liu only asks for advice about visiting the Black Market.
• Dai Lego admits he has never been to the Black Market, but gives Liu an Outstanding-quality Emergency Rations item instead. It can restore part of Liu’s body after he becomes an “Empty Shell.”
• The exchange reveals that Dai Lego and Cow-Horse are enemies. Cow-Horse once tried to sell Dai Lego adulterated liquor containing herbicide, resulting in Dai Lego beating it badly.
• Dai Lego and Liu repeat their usual trading ritual: Liu takes the flesh hanging from one of the tree’s roots, while Dai Lego receives the item Liu offers in exchange. The transaction appears to be mutually beneficial, though Dai Lego remains gloomy about giving up food.
• Cow-Horse urges Liu to hurry because the Black Market may close. They reach a mist-covered alley that serves as its entrance.
• Visitors must place a body part into the black mist for an identity check. The mist bites both Liu and Cow-Horse, then turns red and permits entry.
• Liu follows Cow-Horse into the entrance and experiences the mist squeezing and engulfing him, ending the chapter as he struggles through it.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates increasing friendliness and social awareness by visiting Dai Lego simply to say hello and offering him sake without demanding payment.
• He remains cautious and perceptive, noticing the suspicious darkness beneath the tree and recognizing the dangers of the Black Market’s entrance.
• Liu also shows resourcefulness by accepting Dai Lego’s unusual trading customs and obtaining a valuable emergency item.
• Dai Lego is portrayed as eccentric, theatrical, generous, and proud. Although he claims not to like owing favors, he repays Liu with a life-saving item.
• His feud with Cow-Horse reveals a vindictive side, but also suggests that he values fair exchanges and reacts strongly to betrayal.
• Cow-Horse remains impatient, sarcastic, and opportunistic. It mocks Liu’s politeness but is eager to exploit the Emergency Rations for profit at the Black Market.
• The rivalry between Cow-Horse and Dai Lego becomes clearer, with their mutual hostility affecting Liu’s interactions with both.

Significant Themes

• Friendship and reciprocity: Liu’s gift to Dai Lego develops into a meaningful exchange, showing that relationships can be more valuable than straightforward transactions.
• Trust and suspicion: Nearly every interaction involves hidden motives, past betrayals, or the possibility of being cheated.
• Survival and resourcefulness: The Emergency Rations item emphasizes the importance of preparation in a dangerous world where physical destruction is possible.
• The absurdity of this world: Singing trees, sentient animals, flesh-based trading, and a biting identity-checking mist combine horror with dark humor.
• Strength and vulnerability: The Black Market entrance appears to discriminate between the weak and the strong, reinforcing the chapter’s recurring concern with power and survival.

Character Interactions

• Liu and Dai Lego share a friendly but unconventional conversation, with Liu offering courtesy and Dai Lego responding through a mixture of suspicion, pride, and generosity.
• Liu mediates between Dai Lego and Cow-Horse, questioning their grudge even though Cow-Horse remains hidden and hostile.
• Liu and Cow-Horse continue their boss-and-subordinate dynamic: Cow-Horse gives directions and pushes him forward, while Liu questions its explanations and teases it when the mist bites them.
• The chapter ends with Liu and Cow-Horse entering the Black Market together, setting up their next attempt to make money.

Chapter Summary: “Heaven Butcher”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse emerge from an oily fog into the silent black market, searching for a way to obtain money.
• Cow-Horse explains that Liu has two options: pawn his current persona or sell his own “meat.” Liu refuses to pawn the persona because losing its buffs would drastically weaken him.
• They enter a butcher’s workshop filled with furnaces, boiling pots, and disturbing cuts of humanoid meat. There they meet Oink, a gigantic, scarred butcher with a pig’s head and human intelligence.
• Oink evaluates Liu’s body as high-quality meat because of its mixture of humanity, deformity, and black-goat traits. He offers two thousand yuan per pound and estimates Liu has fifteen pounds of meat.
• Cow-Horse reveals that selling all one’s meat doubles the price, making Liu’s total payment potentially sixty thousand yuan. Liu hesitates, knowing that doing so would leave him an empty shell for two and a half years.
• Cow-Horse signals that Liu should accept, apparently relying on the mysterious item advanced to him by French Plane Tree. Liu decides to gamble on the plan and agrees.
• When Oink asks why he is selling himself, Liu says he needs money to buy and operate the Bloodstained Restaurant. He then admits this is partly a joke and that his real goal is simply to survive.
• Oink accepts the transaction and offers Liu a bowl of soup as a customary reward for customers who sell all their meat. The chapter ends as he tells Liu to choose his luck from the pots.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Demonstrates practical judgment by refusing to sacrifice his powerful persona, but ultimately accepts an extreme and dangerous bargain. He remains humorous and adaptable, using jokes about exploitation and ambition to conceal his uncertainty. His willingness to risk his body suggests increasing desperation and dependence on strategic gambles.
• Cow-Horse: Reveals that it has no money and is more familiar with the black market than Liu. Though mocking and self-interested, it secretly guides Liu toward the full-sale option and shows clear fear or respect toward Oink.
• Oink: Is introduced as an intimidating but controlled butcher. His calm scrutiny, philosophical questions, and powerful presence establish him as both dangerous and perceptive. He is interested not only in the quality of Liu’s meat but also in Liu’s motives.
• French Plane Tree: Does not appear directly, but the item previously advanced to Liu becomes crucial to the decision to sell all his meat, hinting at a larger hidden plan.

Significant Themes

• Desperation and sacrifice: Liu must literally sell parts of himself to obtain money, making financial hardship a physical and existential threat.
• Identity and power: The choice between pawning his persona and selling his meat forces Liu to weigh his external abilities against his physical self.
• Exploitation: Cow-Horse’s comments and Oink’s accusation highlight the cycle in which exploited individuals may later exploit others.
• Gambling and uncertain survival: Liu’s decision depends on an unexplained advantage and represents a risky attempt to escape his current situation.
• Humanity amid monstrosity: Oink appears monstrous but speaks rationally and morally, while Liu’s partly human, partly deformed body complicates the boundary between human and monster.

Character Interactions

• Liu and Cow-Horse exchange sarcastic banter throughout, with Cow-Horse teasing Liu while also covertly helping him.
• Cow-Horse’s submissive politeness toward Oink contrasts with its usual arrogance, showing Oink’s authority in the black market.
• Oink treats Liu as an ingredient at first, but his questions about Liu’s intentions reveal an unexpected interest in his character.
• Liu’s claim that he wants to buy the Bloodstained Restaurant prompts Oink to challenge him about exploiting others, forcing Liu to soften his ambition and admit his more immediate desire to survive.

Chapter Summary: “Butchered into Mince”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng examines several pots in the Pig-headed Man Oink’s kitchen and randomly chooses one based on symmetry.
• Oink serves him Hell Dragonfly Spicy Soup, whose effects include temporary loss of taste and a permanent five-point Constitution reduction. Although the penalty could cripple him after leaving the instance, Liu Zheng reluctantly drinks it.
• The soup is unbearably spicy, but Liu Zheng continues provoking Oink with sarcastic remarks.
• Their conversation turns to the Bloodstained Restaurant, revealing that Oink was once its famous live-roasted suckling pig. This history enrages Oink, while Cow-Horse tries to protect Liu Zheng.
• Cow-Horse and Oink discuss Black Claw, who died while exploring Landfill, highlighting the dangers of their world and the grim fate of its inhabitants.
• Oink orders Liu Zheng onto a bloodstained slaughter table. He cooperates, using humor and self-hypnosis to endure the process.
• Oink methodically removes Liu Zheng’s head, limbs, organs, and finally splits his body in two, effectively turning him into an “Empty Shell.”
• Liu Zheng’s Emergency Rations automatically activate, restoring him by sending a wriggling mass of flesh into his mouth.
• Oink realizes Cow-Horse had anticipated the slaughter and relied on the Emergency Rations to save Liu Zheng. Though displeased, Oink allows it this time.
• After learning that Liu Zheng helped Cow-Horse obtain valuable items, Oink decides to let him live and pours the remaining soup into his mouth, saying they should “look forward to” what he may accomplish.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains reckless, sarcastic, and unusually resilient. His inability to control his irritability causes him to antagonize Oink even while facing certain death. His mental detachment and use of self-hypnosis allow him to endure the slaughter without screaming.
• Oink is revealed to have a traumatic history with the Bloodstained Restaurant, where it was once butchered and served as food. Beneath its cruelty, it shows curiosity about Liu Zheng’s potential and ultimately chooses not to kill him permanently.
• Cow-Horse demonstrates loyalty toward Liu Zheng, risking Oink’s anger to ensure he survives. It also reveals that it believes Liu Zheng may achieve something significant.
• Black Claw, though absent, is characterized through dialogue as reckless and foolish, having died while exploring Landfill.

Significant Themes

• Survival through regeneration and preparation: Liu Zheng survives total dismemberment because of the Emergency Rations, emphasizing the importance of hidden abilities and contingency plans.
• Dehumanization and identity: Liu Zheng is treated as livestock and an ingredient, while Oink’s own past shows that even monsters can have been victims of exploitation.
• Trauma and revenge: Oink’s hostility toward the Bloodstained Restaurant stems from having been butchered and eaten there, linking violence with unresolved resentment.
• Dark humor amid horror: Graphic mutilation, cooking, and death are presented alongside sarcasm and absurd exchanges, creating a grotesque but comedic tone.
• Potential and judgment: Oink spares Liu Zheng because Cow-Horse believes he has unusual promise, suggesting that survival may depend not only on strength but on perceived future value.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Oink constantly trade insults, with Liu Zheng’s jokes testing Oink’s patience.
• Cow-Horse repeatedly attempts to shield Liu Zheng, first by explaining his behavior and then by relying on the Emergency Rations to revive him.
• Oink and Cow-Horse share knowledge of their past lives and acquaintances from the farm, Sewer, Landfill, and Bloodstained Restaurant.
• The chapter ends with Oink acknowledging Liu Zheng’s possible importance, shifting their relationship from simple executioner and victim toward cautious observation.

Chapter Summary: “Lucky Clown”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng is awakened by Oxhead after the group finishes selling his flesh. Despite the unsettling transaction, Liu Zheng feels no immediate physical change and is relieved that he has not become an Empty Shell.
• Cow-Horse gives Liu Zheng a wallet filled with unfamiliar currency and begins considering ways to make more money. He rejects boxing, smuggling, and scavenging because Liu Zheng lacks the necessary strength, connections, or expertise.
• Cow-Horse decides that gambling is their best chance to become rich quickly and brings Liu Zheng to a bizarre gambling den populated by monstrous, nonhuman patrons.
• Cow-Horse warns Liu Zheng not to attract the attention of a powerful demon gambler, who may not attack directly but could gamble away all their money.
• Cow-Horse reveals a prepared item: the Lucky Clown Card, which increases luck while its holder is dressed as a clown. The card’s effectiveness improves with the quality of the costume.
• Cow-Horse produces a clown outfit and jester hat from his mouth. To complete the disguise, he cuts Liu Zheng’s tentacle and uses the blood as clown lipstick, much to Liu Zheng’s annoyance.
• Once Liu Zheng is dressed and painted, the Lucky Clown Card activates.
• The pair exchange their money for gambling chips. A slime cashier explains—or, according to Cow-Horse, announces—a promotion granting bonus chips for a large deposit. However, the free white chips cannot be directly exchanged for cash and must first be won with.
• Cow-Horse directs Liu Zheng to begin with a Pachinko machine, and Liu Zheng inserts the first yellow chip, beginning their gambling attempt.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains practical and focused on earning money, even while surrounded by grotesque creatures and absurd situations. He shows growing skepticism toward Cow-Horse’s schemes but cooperates when necessary.
• His unwilling transformation into a clown highlights his tolerance for humiliation and danger when survival or profit is at stake.
• Cow-Horse is revealed to be opportunistic, theatrical, and surprisingly well-prepared. Though he pretends to reason through possible money-making plans, he has already arranged the clown costume and gambling strategy.
• Cow-Horse also demonstrates a reckless willingness to injure Liu Zheng for the sake of activating the Lucky Clown Card, while casually accepting the possibility that Liu Zheng may retaliate.
• Oxhead remains blunt and physical, waking Liu Zheng through violence and helping move the group along.
• The bizarre gambling-den inhabitants, including the ram-horned demon and slime cashier, reinforce the strange and dangerous social environment of the setting.

Significant Themes

• Survival through improvisation: Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse must constantly find unconventional ways to earn money and avoid becoming helpless in the strange world.
• Risk and gambling: The chapter explores literal gambling as a desperate path to wealth, emphasizing the danger of relying on luck.
• Humor amid horror: Grotesque events—selling flesh, blood used as makeup, and monsters playing gambling games—are treated with deadpan comedy.
• Exploitation and bodily sacrifice: Liu Zheng’s body is repeatedly treated as a resource, whether through selling flesh or using his blood to activate an item.
• Luck versus strategy: The Lucky Clown Card suggests that success may depend less on skill than on manipulating supernatural luck, though the gambling den’s rules ensure that the house retains an advantage.

Character Interactions

• Oxhead wakes Liu Zheng aggressively, and Liu Zheng responds with sarcastic criticism.
• Cow-Horse and Liu Zheng argue over how to make money, with Liu Zheng questioning Cow-Horse’s gambling plan and suggesting robbery instead.
• Cow-Horse warns Liu Zheng about the dangerous demon gambler, showing that he understands the local risks.
• Cow-Horse forces Liu Zheng into a clown costume and cuts him to create the necessary makeup; Liu Zheng threatens revenge if they win money.
• Their partnership is defined by mutual dependence: Cow-Horse supplies schemes and supernatural resources, while Liu Zheng provides the body and willingness to carry them out.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng taking the first turn at the Pachinko machine, setting up the outcome of their risky plan.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

Liu Zheng becomes frustrated after earning only 500 dollars using the Lucky Clown Card and decides to change gambling games. He moves to a Texas Hold’em table, where the reptilian dealer drools at him and admits that it wants to eat his flesh. Liu interprets the comment as sexual harassment and demands that the dealer be replaced.
Cow-Horse aggressively supports Liu, threatening the dealer when it makes an implied threat about Liu eventually leaving the casino. To resolve the conflict, Liu demands drinks and a new dealer. The casino complies, replacing the reptilian dealer with a flirtatious female Succubus.
The Succubus attempts to distract Liu by placing a card between her breasts, but Liu ignores the seduction and takes the card without hesitation. During the poker game, Liu receives a mediocre pair of nines. Since the monstrous gamblers are difficult to read and he cannot rely on conventional tells, he develops an unconventional strategy: he orders Cow-Horse to kick him in the face, making it appear that he is irrational or emotionally unstable.
Liu then falsely claims to have pocket aces and raises aggressively. His behavior causes most players to fold. Eel Head, a former attacker who once bit off part of Liu’s flesh, stays in the game and taunts him. After the flop produces an ace, a five, and a king, Liu continues bluffing, claiming to have three aces and raising again. Cow-Horse nearly exposes the bluff, but Liu intimidates it into silence. Eel Head eventually folds, allowing Liu to win the pot with nothing more than his pair of nines.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates adaptability, shamelessness, and psychological cunning. Rather than relying on strong cards, he uses deception, humor, and calculated absurdity to manipulate the table.
• Cow-Horse reveals a fiercely protective side. Although normally submissive toward stronger figures such as Oink, it refuses to tolerate the dealer threatening Liu and openly confronts it. However, Cow-Horse also struggles to understand Liu’s poker strategy and nearly ruins the bluff.
• The Succubus Dealer is introduced as flirtatious and manipulative, using her appearance to distract gamblers. She becomes intrigued when Liu remains unaffected by her seduction.
• Eel Head is established as Liu’s previous enemy and a cannibalistic threat. Their interaction shows that their hostility has continued, but Liu now has enough confidence to mock and challenge it.
• The other gamblers are portrayed as grotesque casino patrons who are easily influenced by Liu’s bizarre performance and aggressive betting.

Significant Themes

• Deception and psychological warfare: Liu wins not through superior cards but by controlling what others believe about his hand.
• Absurdity as a survival strategy: His ridiculous claims, staged injury, and outrageous behavior become effective tools in a dangerous supernatural environment.
• Defiance against monsters and authority: Liu refuses to be intimidated by the dealer, the casino’s threats, or creatures that previously harmed him.
• Composure against temptation: The Succubus’s seductive tactics fail because Liu remains focused on his objective.
• Unlikely loyalty and cooperation: Cow-Horse’s willingness to defend Liu contrasts with its annoyance at being manipulated by him.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu and the original dealer clash after the dealer admits it wants to eat him.
• Cow-Horse backs Liu up and forces the casino to replace the dealer.
• Liu resists the Succubus Dealer’s seduction, reversing the expected power dynamic.
• Liu and Cow-Horse argue over his deceptive poker tactics, especially after Cow-Horse nearly reveals the truth.
• Liu confronts Eel Head through mutual threats and mockery, ultimately defeating it psychologically by forcing it to fold.

Chapter Summary: “How Can a Pair of Aces Make a Flush?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng challenges Eel Head while playing poker in the Black Market, casually threatening to have it obtain a number before trying to eat him.
• He receives another Pink Fuzzy Rabbit drink and is dealt a new hand. He claims to have a pair of Aces, provoking Cow-Horse into a bet over whether he is telling the truth.
• The other gamblers raise and call. The flop reveals the Queen, Eight, and Five of Diamonds. Liu Zheng then claims to have a flush, despite supposedly holding two Aces, confusing everyone.
• Eel Head also claims to have a flush and becomes enraged when Liu Zheng mocks its speech. It attacks him, but Cow-Horse easily restrains it with one hoof.
• The Succubus Dealer warns everyone against fighting, while a heavily armed cowboy-like security figure watches ominously from the corner.
• The fourth community card is the Eight of Clubs. Liu Zheng absurdly claims to have four Aces and raises against Leavened Dough’s supposed full house.
• Liu Zheng notices a dead or nearly dead curly-haired girl being carried upside down by a bat-headed waiter. He tries to buy her, despite Cow-Horse warning him not to act recklessly.
• The crocodile customer who ordered the girl accepts Liu Zheng’s payment. Liu Zheng obtains her as “takeout,” and the waiter offers various ways to prepare her, highlighting the Black Market’s grotesque normality.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains reckless, sarcastic, and seemingly willing to exploit the Black Market’s rules, but his concern for the girl reveals a strong moral instinct beneath his bravado.
• Cow-Horse acts as Liu Zheng’s protector and reluctant companion. He restrains Eel Head, explains the brutal logic of the Black Market, and tries to keep Liu Zheng from endangering himself.
• Eel Head is shown to be physically powerful and extremely aggressive, though Cow-Horse is clearly stronger. Its hatred of Liu Zheng intensifies after being mocked.
• The Succubus Dealer maintains a playful, flirtatious demeanor while enforcing the casino’s rules and preventing fights.
• The gamblers are increasingly irritated and confused by Liu Zheng’s impossible claims about his cards.
• Liu Zheng’s decision to save the girl contrasts with the surrounding creatures’ acceptance of cruelty and commodification.

Significant Themes

• Moral resistance in a corrupt world: The Black Market treats living beings as food and merchandise, but Liu Zheng refuses to accept this completely.
• Survival versus compassion: Cow-Horse argues that one must survive before attempting to save others, while Liu Zheng risks money and attention to rescue the girl.
• Absurdity and deception: The poker game uses impossible claims—such as making a flush with two Aces and having four Aces—to emphasize the bizarre, irrational nature of the setting.
• Normalization of cruelty: The casual discussion of cooking the girl demonstrates how thoroughly violence and exploitation have become ordinary.
• Power and protection: Cow-Horse’s intervention shows that Liu Zheng is still vulnerable, but he is no longer entirely alone or powerless.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse constantly bicker, with Cow-Horse criticizing Liu Zheng’s lies and Liu Zheng accusing him of taking the wrong side.
• Liu Zheng provokes Eel Head until it attacks him; Cow-Horse intervenes and effortlessly subdues it.
• The Succubus Dealer mediates the conflict and reminds the players that the casino’s rules permit verbal provocation but forbid violence.
• Liu Zheng confronts the bat-headed waiter and the crocodile customer to purchase the girl, ultimately using poker chips to secure her release.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng requesting a takeout box for the rescued girl, an intentionally disturbing contrast between his attempt at rescue and the Black Market’s language of food and preparation.

Chapter Summary: “The Real Clown”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng’s Lucky Clown Card expires, apparently leaving him without the ability to win the poker game.
• Rather than relying on the clown costume, Liu creates a horrifying clown appearance himself. He reopens his healed mouth, stitches it into a wide grin, cuts one of his tentacles to cover his face in blood, and uses lead powder as white makeup.
• His grotesque transformation successfully activates the Lucky Clown Card’s effect, proving that being a clown depends on appearance and performance rather than the costume itself.
• The fifth community card is revealed as the ten of diamonds. Leavened Dough, holding three queens but lacking a strong enough hand, folds after Liu’s aggressive taunting.
• Liu goes all in. Most of the remaining gamblers fold, leaving only Eel Head, who raises by wagering Liu’s flesh and adds thirty black chips.
• Eel Head reveals the ace and nine of diamonds, seemingly making victory impossible for Liu and eliminating the chance of a straight flush.
• Liu nevertheless reveals his own cards—the eight of hearts and eight of clubs—and announces that he has a straight flush, stunning the table and causing the other gamblers to leave in disgust and fear.
• Liu and Cow-Horse win a huge pile of chips, enough to potentially escape the restaurant.
• Their celebration is interrupted when a mysterious demon carrying a wineglass approaches Liu and proposes another gamble. Cow-Horse reacts with despair.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates extreme determination, creativity, and willingness to mutilate himself to survive. He embraces his increasingly inhuman body and turns his transformation into a weapon.
• His confidence and reckless bravado intensify throughout the game. Even when apparently trapped, he continues bluffing and psychologically manipulating his opponents.
• Cow-Horse remains anxious and practical, repeatedly warning Liu about the danger. Despite mocking and arguing with him, Cow-Horse shows genuine loyalty, offering to bury Liu if he loses and celebrating when he wins.
• Eel Head becomes more openly predatory, treating Liu not merely as a competitor but as future food. Its confidence collapses when Liu produces the unexpected winning hand.
• Leavened Dough is shown to be prideful and reluctant to abandon a bad position, but ultimately folds rather than risk everything.
• The Succubus Dealer continues to assist Liu, providing the mirror and makeup while observing his bizarre transformation with amusement.
• The newly arrived wineglass demon introduces a potentially more dangerous opponent and threatens to undo Liu and Cow-Horse’s brief victory.

Significant Themes

• Identity and performance: Liu proves that “being a clown” is a matter of presentation and mentality, not merely wearing a costume.
• Humanity versus monstrosity: His body becomes progressively less human, yet his ingenuity, defiance, and emotional attachments remain distinctly human.
• Survival through deception: The poker game rewards bluffing, psychological pressure, and the ability to make opponents doubt what they see.
• Risk and desperation: Liu repeatedly wagers his life and body for freedom and money, showing how survival in the restaurant demands escalating sacrifices.
• Absurdity and horror: Grotesque self-mutilation, bizarre gamblers, and comic insults coexist with genuine danger, creating a darkly humorous atmosphere.
• Temporary victories: Even a spectacular win offers only brief relief, as a new challenge immediately appears.

Character Interactions

• Liu and Cow-Horse exchange constant insults, but their hostility masks mutual trust and loyalty.
• Liu taunts Leavened Dough into frustration after it folds, while Cow-Horse jokingly steals Liu’s anticipated insult.
• Liu and Eel Head engage in a tense battle of threats: Eel Head promises to consume Liu’s flesh, while Liu counters with bravado despite his fear.
• The Succubus Dealer indulges Liu’s requests and helps him construct his clown disguise, treating his grotesque behavior as entertaining rather than alarming.
• The surrounding gamblers pressure Liu to call Eel Head’s raise, viewing him as prey and expecting his defeat.
• The final interaction shifts the power dynamic again when the wineglass demon challenges Liu to another gamble, ending the chapter on a new threat.

Chapter Summary

Liu Zheng initially refuses to cooperate with the demon, insisting that although he may be reckless, he is not stupid. The demon tempts him with a powerful item: the Legendary Deliveryman’s Delivery Box. Its key ability is to duplicate a delivered meal after a successful delivery, provided the meal is Fine quality or lower. Since Bloodstained Restaurant offers meals of Excellent quality and above, Liu Zheng realizes the box could generate valuable items for free. It would also complete two-thirds of the Legendary Deliveryman Set, leaving only the hat.
When Liu Zheng asks about the hat, the demon offers to reveal a clue if Liu Zheng defeats it in a gambling match. Liu agrees too quickly, only for Cow-Horse to remind him that the agreement is binding under the Gambling Den’s rules. Escape is impossible because the cowboy guarding the exit is stronger than the French Plane Tree, making Liu Zheng accept the game.
The demon and Liu Zheng begin playing poker, with the Succubus Dealer, Lilith, dealing the cards. Lilith openly favors Liu Zheng because she considers him more handsome, irritating the demon and adding a playful dynamic to the confrontation.
In the first round, Liu Zheng receives two aces and soon forms four of a kind when the community cards reveal additional aces. Confident in his nearly unbeatable hand, he raises aggressively. The demon folds, transferring its black chips to Liu Zheng. Encouraged by the victory, Liu agrees to continue.
In the second round, Liu receives a king and queen of clubs, while the board gives him strong possibilities for a flush or straight. He plays cautiously, reflecting how hard-won his money is, but continues calling the demon’s increasingly large raises. The final board produces a club flush for Liu. The demon reveals weaker cards—a nine and eight of clubs—and Liu wins again, gaining back the amount he had risked.
The third round becomes far more dangerous. Liu’s eight and nine of spades combine with a board of spades to give him a flush, then a straight flush when the seven of spades appears. The demon repeatedly raises, eventually pushing Liu into an all-in call. Certain that no ordinary hand can defeat him, Liu commits his entire stack. The chapter ends on a cliffhanger as an ominous voice repeatedly echoes in his ear, suggesting that the demon’s game may involve more than ordinary luck or poker strategy.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Zheng remains greedy and opportunistic, especially when presented with the delivery box, but he is also wary of traps and values his hard-earned resources.
• He becomes increasingly confident as he wins, shifting from cautious play to bold all-in decisions.
• Cow-Horse acts as Liu’s practical warning system, pointing out the dangers of accepting the demon’s deal too quickly, though he cannot help Liu escape.
• The demon manipulates Liu by appealing to his desires and controls the Gambling Den’s rules. It remains calm and emotionally unreadable throughout the game.
• Lilith, the Succubus Dealer, lightens the tense situation with flirtatious humor and openly favors Liu, irritating her boss.
• The cowboy guard reinforces the sense that Liu is trapped and cannot simply flee.

Major Themes

• Temptation and manipulation: The demon exploits Liu’s desire for power, wealth, and completion of the Legendary Deliveryman Set.
• Risk versus greed: Liu knows the gambling match is dangerous, yet his desire for the delivery box and more money pushes him to continue.
• Luck and control: Liu’s extraordinary cards may reflect luck, but the ominous voice suggests that hidden forces may be influencing the game.
• Power imbalance: Although the match appears voluntary, the demon’s authority and the guarded exit make Liu’s participation effectively compulsory.
• Resourcefulness and caution: Liu balances careful calculations with increasingly reckless confidence as his hands improve.

Chapter Summary: “Cards Hidden in the Asshole”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the fifth community card, the King of Spades, Liu Zheng appears to be out of chips in his poker game with the Succubus Dealer. Desperate to continue, he offers his flesh and vest as additional stakes.
• Just as the demon is about to reveal Liu Zheng’s cards and potentially claim the Legendary Deliveryman’s Delivery Box, Heaven Butcher Oink breaks into the Casino.
• Oink reveals that both Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse have been mentally influenced by the demon. He slaps them hard enough to knock out teeth, restoring their awareness.
• Rather than forcibly removing Liu Zheng from the gambling table, Oink insists on helping reveal the hidden cards. To prevent accusations of cheating, he strips completely naked and sarcastically declares that he could not possibly be hiding cards—even “in his asshole.”
• Oink uses his shadow-like power to immobilize the demon and flip one of Liu Zheng’s hole cards. He correctly predicts that the other is a Two of Spades; the revealed card is the Queen of Spades, giving Liu Zheng a winning straight flush.
• The demon is forced to acknowledge the result. Oink exchanges the winnings for cash and leads Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse out of the Gambling Den.
• After they leave, the enraged demon incinerates every gambler and attendant inside the Casino, sparing only the Succubus Dealer and the cowboy, who seem amused by the demon’s humiliation.
• In the Black Market, Oink demands his share of the winnings. Cow-Horse reluctantly gives him half, then divides the remainder with Liu Zheng. Liu Zheng receives less money but keeps the Legendary Deliveryman’s Delivery Box.
• Liu Zheng opens the box and obtains Merfolk Egg Fried Rice, an excellent item that grants +3 Constitution and allows the user to absorb small amounts of oxygen through the skin while underwater.
• As the instance deadline approaches, Liu Zheng rushes toward the exit. Cow-Horse follows while trying to stuff his money away.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng displays desperation and stubbornness by wagering his body and clothing after running out of conventional chips. His hatred of the world remains intense, but he also shows practical judgment by valuing the fried rice’s Constitution increase and survival ability.
• Oink/Heaven Butcher is established as powerful, intimidating, and unpredictable. Despite claiming to hate everyone, he intervenes to save Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse, exposes the demon’s manipulation, and ensures the game is settled fairly—or at least in a way that favors them.
• Cow-Horse is shown to be both cowardly and opportunistic. He is mentally influenced by the demon, panics during the confrontation, attempts to keep as much money as possible, and still demands repayment for a bottle of Maotai.
• The Succubus Dealer remains outwardly composed but is visibly alarmed by Oink’s intervention and apparent knowledge of the cards.
• The demon shifts from confident control to panic and rage. It tries to prevent Oink from exposing the cards, loses the game, and then destroys the Casino’s inhabitants in retaliation.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and regained agency: The demon’s mental influence turns the gamblers against their own interests, while Oink’s intervention restores Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse’s awareness.
• Survival through ruthlessness and improvisation: Liu Zheng risks his body, Oink uses intimidation and power, and Cow-Horse exploits every opportunity to preserve his share.
• Hatred and destruction: Oink and Liu Zheng acknowledge their hatred of the world, but Oink distinguishes between changing the world and destroying it. Their exchange suggests that destruction may be Liu Zheng’s more realistic path.
• Power and dignity: Oink’s nudity is both a practical demonstration that he is not cheating and an act of humiliation directed at the demon. The demon’s later massacre reflects its wounded pride.
• The cost behind rewards: The fried rice’s note—“Behind every bowl of fried rice lies a broken merman family”—underscores the grotesque suffering underlying the benefits of items in this world.

Character Interactions

• Oink and Liu Zheng: Oink rescues Liu Zheng, challenges his worldview, and validates his answer that the world might be destroyed even if it cannot be changed.
• Oink and Cow-Horse: Oink treats Cow-Horse harshly, slapping him awake and later taking half the winnings. Cow-Horse remains frightened but deferential toward him.
• Oink and the demon: Their confrontation is a battle of authority and pride. Oink physically overpowers the demon’s attempt to control the game and forces it to accept Liu Zheng’s victory.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse: Their relationship remains antagonistic and transactional. Cow-Horse claims most of the money, demands repayment, and continues taking advantage of Liu Zheng, while Liu Zheng responds with contempt but cooperates when necessary.
• The demon and the Casino’s occupants: After being publicly defeated, the demon kills nearly everyone inside, revealing the lethal consequences of humiliating powerful beings in this setting.

Chapter Summary: “Spending Money”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cow-Horse spends his earnings on cheap leftovers and contaminated food, explaining that his kitchen connections let him obtain discarded goods cheaply.
• Liu Zheng considers the advantages of the three jobs: kitchen work provides cheap food, waiting tables provides tips, and delivery work offers freedom of movement.
• Wanting to maintain a supply of “emergency rations” from the tree-like creature, Liu Zheng asks Cow-Horse to obtain red wine. Cow-Horse instead offers a cheap case of contaminated fifteen-year-old Ascension Hair Moss liquor.
• The liquor grants Drunken, Bliss, and Hemolysis statuses. Although it increases strength and turns pain into pleasure, it also lowers perception and makes the drinker’s blood corrosive. Liu Zheng realizes it is extremely dangerous but believes the tree may be able to consume it.
• Liu Zheng gives one bottle to Ghost Hand, apparently hoping to gain something in return. Ghost Hand gestures for more bottles, and Liu Zheng purchases three additional bottles.
• Cow-Horse gives Liu Zheng a new delivery order, allowing him to test the Legendary Delivery Box while Cow-Horse avoids working.
• The delivery is Garlic Mi-go Brain, an item that may grant Telepathy or the dangerous Mind’s Ear status. The brain emits whispers and immediately triggers a sanity-resistance check.
• Despite the tempting possibility of gaining telepathy, Liu Zheng refuses to eat it because hearing sounds imperceptible to ordinary people could severely damage his sanity. He proceeds toward the delivery destination.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng shows increasing resourcefulness and willingness to take risks for profit and survival. He is also unusually tolerant of dangerous creatures, continuing to treat the tree as an ally despite Cow-Horse’s warnings that it views him as food.
• His practical judgment remains strong: he recognizes the dangers of both the contaminated liquor and the Mi-go brain and refuses to consume either casually.
• Cow-Horse is established as a self-interested but useful coworker. He maintains business relationships with the kitchen staff, profits from questionable deals, and manipulates Liu Zheng into accepting undesirable goods. Nevertheless, he occasionally helps Liu Zheng and shares information.
• Ghost Hand remains mysterious and opportunistic, communicating through gestures and apparently demanding more liquor in exchange for an unknown benefit.

Significant Themes

• Commerce and survival: Items that would normally be worthless or hazardous become valuable commodities in the strange world of the instance.
• Risk versus reward: Powerful abilities such as telepathy come with potentially fatal side effects, forcing Liu Zheng to prioritize survival over advancement.
• Morality and coexistence: Liu Zheng is willing to cooperate with dangerous beings, arguing that mutual benefit matters more than whether the tree considers him food.
• Corruption beneath bargains: The cheap liquor and contaminated goods reveal that apparent bargains often conceal serious dangers.
• Sanity and perception: The chapter emphasizes that knowledge and sensory abilities can be dangerous, especially in a world filled with supernatural whispers and invisible threats.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse argue over whether the tree deserves gifts, with Cow-Horse criticizing Liu Zheng’s sentimental attitude and Liu Zheng defending the mutually beneficial arrangement.
• Their bargaining over the contaminated liquor reveals a familiar, sarcastic partnership: Cow-Horse exploits Liu Zheng but also provides access to rare goods.
• Liu Zheng attempts to communicate with Ghost Hand through an offered bottle, while Cow-Horse mocks his interpretation of Ghost Hand’s gestures.
• Cow-Horse passes the Garlic Mi-go Brain delivery to Liu Zheng, giving Liu Zheng an opportunity to test the Legendary Delivery Box while Cow-Horse continues eating and avoids the task.

Chapter Summary

• Plot and events: Liu Zheng visits French Plane Tree to trade a case of fifteen-year Ascension Hair Moss for liquor. Although the tree initially refuses because the goods are too valuable, Liu reveals that the Maotai bottles are defective and carry the scent of the dangerous Chaos Club. French Plane Tree recognizes the smell because they originally grew near its entrance but refuses to explain what the club is, warning Liu to ask only if he ever receives an order from there.
• Liu then brings out the corpse of a young girl and asks to bury her beneath the tree. French Plane Tree angrily rejects the idea of being treated as a cemetery, explaining that their black soil preserves corpses and would attract scavengers. Liu offers the entire case of liquor as a “management fee,” prioritizing the girl’s safe burial despite the cost.
• The girl is identified as Natasha, though French Plane Tree also gives her the more favorable name Marceau and carves it into a bark tombstone. Liu’s insistence on preserving and properly burying her becomes a central expression of his humanity.
• Liu also reveals that he obtained a Garlic Mi-go Brain and may have located the missing hat needed to complete the Legendary Deliveryman Set. French Plane Tree becomes highly interested because acquiring the full set would improve their position among the city’s collectors. Before Liu can reveal the hat’s location, he notices something approaching in the distance.

Character Development and Interactions

• Liu Zheng remains clever, boastful, and opportunistic, using rare liquor to negotiate even when he cannot afford conventional trade goods. However, he also demonstrates compassion and moral stubbornness by spending an entire case of valuable alcohol to protect Natasha’s corpse.
• He rejects the idea that his changing nature will erase his identity, insisting that whatever he becomes later is separate from who he is now. His statement, “Because I’m human,” emphasizes his determination to retain human values despite his ongoing physical and essential transformation.
• French Plane Tree is sarcastic, greedy, and suspicious of Liu, calling him an artifact thief and threatening to eat him. Nevertheless, they are willing to help once properly compensated and show a surprisingly practical concern for Natasha’s burial. Their choice to create a tombstone suggests a degree of respect beneath their hostility.
• Their exchange is marked by constant teasing and bargaining. Liu mocks the tree’s fixation on rare items, while French Plane Tree criticizes his naivety, especially his belief that they would protect a human corpse without payment.

Significant Themes

• Humanity versus transformation: Liu’s body and essence are changing, and French Plane Tree predicts he may eventually resemble a Black Goat’s Young enough to consume Natasha himself. Liu counters that his present identity and moral choices still matter.
• Memory and dignity after death: Liu’s determination to bury Natasha safely and provide her with a name and tombstone reflects a human need to preserve individuality and dignity, even in a brutal world.
• Value, scarcity, and survival: The negotiations show how rare items function as currency and how becoming weaker can mean death. Even compassion must be purchased in this dangerous society.
• Trust and exploitation: Liu and French Plane Tree distrust one another, yet their repeated trades create a mutually beneficial relationship. Their banter masks an evolving partnership built on bargaining rather than genuine warmth.
• Dangerous mysteries: The scent of Chaos Club and the possible completion of the Legendary Deliveryman Set introduce larger threats and future opportunities, suggesting Liu is becoming increasingly connected to powerful and dangerous forces.

Chapter Summary: “Watering Truck”

Plot and events

Liu Zheng encounters a supernatural municipal watering truck while traveling with the French Plane Tree. The truck’s water can destroy even an Astral Mole’s corpse, and it automatically tracks Liu Zheng wherever he runs or hides. The French Plane Tree warns that Liu Zheng will be treated as “dirty” and offers to protect him in exchange for his Legendary Deliveryman vest and delivery box.
When the truck stops and begins building pressure for a devastating attack, Liu Zheng unexpectedly approaches it instead of fleeing. He repeatedly slaps hundred-yuan bills against the driver’s window. A mysterious blue hand collects the money, causing the tank to deflate and preventing the attack. The truck then drives away, changing its song to one about good luck and prosperity. Liu Zheng realizes that even supernatural government vehicles require “fuel”—in this case, money.

Character developments

Liu Zheng remains calm, resourceful, and irreverent despite facing certain death. Rather than relying on force, he identifies a practical weakness and uses bribery to survive. His confidence and mischievous nature are also evident when he deliberately frustrates the French Plane Tree after escaping.
The French Plane Tree is shown to be greedy and opportunistic. It is primarily concerned with obtaining Liu Zheng’s legendary equipment and is visibly shocked when its threats and knowledge of the truck prove useless. Its arrogance is undercut by Liu Zheng’s simple solution.

Important interactions

The tree repeatedly mocks Liu Zheng, tries to pressure him into surrendering his equipment, and claims it can only partially protect him. Liu Zheng refuses to yield and ultimately saves himself without the tree’s help. Afterward, the tree demands payment for information about the Legendary Deliveryman’s Hat. Liu Zheng trades for the information by accepting a Sick Leave Slip, an item granting three days of leave. The tree reveals that the hat is held by the Wolf Knight at the landfill, though it recognizes that retrieving it will be difficult.

Themes

The chapter emphasizes the absurd logic of the supernatural world, where government services operate with terrifying power but still follow familiar bureaucratic and financial principles. It also highlights ingenuity over brute strength, as Liu Zheng survives by understanding the truck as a government employee that can be bribed. Further themes include greed, bargaining, unreliable alliances, and the contrast between Liu Zheng’s flexibility and the tree’s overconfidence.

Chapter Summary: “Rooftop No-Rope Bungee Standing Challenge”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng asks about Wolf Knight, learning that although Wolf Knight is not especially powerful, his Three-Headed Hellhound is extremely dangerous. More importantly, Wolf Knight is the sworn brother of a terrifying figure known as the “Fire Mage,” also called the City Wanderer.
• The trees explain that the Fire Mage is feared because he sets fires throughout the city, burning not only their bodies but supposedly their souls. However, both he and Wolf Knight enjoy good food, meaning Liu Zheng may be able to trade perfect-grade or large quantities of fine-grade dishes for the hat he wants.
• Liu Zheng learns about the Landfill, a massive dumping ground for dangerous waste and desperate or malicious individuals. It is far more dangerous than the Black Market, and even Cow-Horse would not dare bring him there.
• Fire Mage is apparently the safest way to enter and leave the Landfill, but he is difficult to find because he wanders throughout the city. Liu Zheng realizes he may need to recover the Lucky Clown Card he gave Cow-Horse in order to improve his chances of encountering him.
• At the entrance to Jiahe New Residence Complex, Liu Zheng is stopped by a corrupt security guard. Bribes of meat, cigarettes, or money are rejected because the guard claims to possess “ideals and ambitions.”
• The guard explains that outsiders may enter only by completing one of several bizarre anniversary celebration challenges. Liu Zheng chooses the “Rooftop No-Rope Bungee Standing Challenge,” which is effectively jumping from a building without a rope.
• After entering the complex, Liu Zheng is transported to a rooftop identical to the one shown on the challenge poster. The security guard announces the event to an unseen audience, and a pool of blood below suggests that a previous participant died.
• Relying on his Flesh Rebirth ability, Liu Zheng judges blunt-force trauma to be survivable as long as he protects his head. When the guard counts down and the crowd urges him onward, Liu Zheng jumps.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains sarcastic, calculating, and willing to exploit loopholes. He evaluates the dangers of the city practically, considering food as currency and his regenerative abilities as protection against the challenge.
• He also shows growing awareness of the city’s power structure, identifying Fire Mage as a potential ally rather than merely a threat and recognizing that luck may be essential to finding him.
• French Plane Tree shifts from frightened and evasive to cooperative after Liu Zheng threatens to exclude it from a future appreciation party. Its fear of Fire Mage and the Landfill reveals how dangerous the city is even to long-established residents.
• The triangular-eyed security guard is established as petty, corrupt, and theatrical. He uses the complex’s bizarre rules to force outsiders into dangerous “talent” challenges while presenting himself as a man of principle.

Significant Themes

• Survival through adaptation: Liu Zheng constantly turns dangerous situations into manageable problems by using negotiation, threats, resources, and knowledge of his regenerative powers.
• Absurdity masking brutality: The challenge is presented as a festive residential activity, complete with applause and scoring, but is actually a lethal execution-like spectacle.
• Power and reputation: Figures such as Fire Mage and Wolf Knight are defined less by direct action than by the fear and stories surrounding them.
• Corruption and arbitrary rules: Access to ordinary places depends on bribes or ridiculous trials, illustrating a society governed by intimidation and irrational authority.
• Luck versus control: Liu Zheng can plan and bargain, but finding Fire Mage depends on chance, prompting him to consider retrieving the Lucky Clown Card.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng questions French Plane Tree about Wolf Knight, Fire Mage, and the Landfill, using mockery and threats to force honest answers.
• French Plane Tree contrasts Fire Mage’s terrifying reputation with the possibility that he can be approached through food.
• Liu Zheng confronts the security guard over bribery and access, initially attempting payment before switching to submission and negotiation.
• The security guard manipulates Liu Zheng into participating in the rooftop challenge, while an unseen crowd cheers and pressures him to jump.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng taking the challenge literally and leaping from the rooftop.

Chapter Summary: “Honorary Homeowner Medal of the Complex”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng completes the dangerous Rooftop No-Rope Bungee Standing Challenge by performing sixteen and a half rotations before landing vertically.
• Although he suffers massive fractures and internal bleeding, he survives and earns a score of 9.97, making him the challenge’s champion.
• The triangular-eyed security guard presents him with the Jiahe New Residence Honorary Homeowner Medal.
• The medal allows Liu Zheng to enter and leave the complex freely and guarantees the cooperation of the property staff and homeowners while he is working. Collecting five medals may unlock an additional effect.
• Liu Zheng realizes the medal will make future deliveries easier, but he also suspects that the end of his beginner-protection period means future delivery routes may become increasingly dangerous.
• His body recovers rapidly, demonstrating that his mutation and changing essence are strengthening him.
• He reaches Apartment 1503 in Building 7 ten minutes early and encounters the customer, a fist-sized Miniature Man, who is furious that Liu Zheng failed to notice him.
• The Miniature Man summons Tindalos, a terrifying, otherworldly dog-like creature, to attack Liu Zheng.
• Liu Zheng uses the Honorary Homeowner Medal to stop the attack, as Tindalos is forced to obey the complex’s homeowners’ authority.
• After Liu Zheng apologizes and delivers the meal, the Miniature Man offers him an opportunity to earn extra money.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng displays impressive adaptability and endurance, surviving an almost fatal stunt and continuing his delivery without complaint.
• His rapidly improving regeneration highlights the growing power of his mutation and altered essence.
• He becomes more strategically minded, recognizing that rewards and special items—especially the Legendary Deliveryman’s Hat—will be essential as dangers increase.
• Despite his sarcasm and frustration, Liu Zheng learns to remain diplomatic when dealing with bizarre and threatening customers.
• The Miniature Man is introduced as arrogant, easily offended, and verbally domineering, but also pragmatic enough to recognize Liu Zheng’s usefulness.
• Tindalos is established as a highly dangerous but obedient creature, restrained by the authority of the Honorary Homeowner Medal.

Significant Themes

• Survival through adaptation: Liu Zheng relies on mutation, physical resilience, quick thinking, and social flexibility to survive.
• Power and status: The medal grants Liu Zheng social protection within the complex, showing how supernatural authority can be more valuable than brute strength.
• The increasing danger of ordinary work: A simple food delivery now involves deadly stunts, anomalous creatures, and unpredictable customers.
• Identity and transformation: Liu Zheng’s nonhuman body gives him extraordinary abilities but also separates him further from ordinary humanity.
• Humor amid horror: The chapter contrasts graphic injuries and monstrous threats with Liu Zheng’s sarcastic observations and absurd customer-service interactions.

Character Interactions

• The triangular-eyed security guard acts as both referee and reward-giver, formally celebrating Liu Zheng’s victory despite his gruesome condition.
• The faceless spectators both applaud and mock Liu Zheng, emphasizing the bizarre, entertainment-focused culture of the complex.
• Liu Zheng and the Miniature Man clash over the customer’s size and perceived disrespect, but Liu Zheng quickly shifts to polite diplomacy when threatened.
• The Honorary Homeowner Medal changes the power dynamic between Liu Zheng, the Miniature Man, and Tindalos, preventing the creature from attacking him.
• The chapter ends with the Miniature Man offering Liu Zheng additional work, suggesting that the delivery may lead to a new and potentially dangerous opportunity.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

Miniature Man asks Liu Zheng to walk Tindalos, a terrifying Hound, while offering him extra money. Liu initially refuses, but accepts after receiving M’sithra’s Bone Whistle, which prevents Tindalos and similar Hounds from attacking him. Miniature Man hints that Tindalos is generous to people it likes, though he gives no clear advice on how to earn its favor.
Liu takes Tindalos outside, where the Hound races ahead, transforms into colorful smoke, and repeatedly reappears around him. The frightened security guard quickly lets them pass. Liu realizes that Tindalos’s presence scares away the hidden watchers on the street, and he considers this useful.
They eventually arrive at the Bloodstained Restaurant, where Liu greets the French Plane Tree. The Tree is horrified to see Tindalos and angrily attacks it with spear-like roots. Tindalos effortlessly dodges, becomes intangible smoke, and then appears beneath the Tree before spraying a glowing stream of water from its raised leg.

Character developments

• Liu Zheng remains cautious and practical, recognizing that walking Tindalos is more dangerous than profitable. However, he gradually becomes more comfortable with the Hound and starts using its frightening reputation to protect himself from surveillance.
• Miniature Man is manipulative and persistent, ignoring Liu’s refusals until he produces a protective item. His cryptic comments about Tindalos suggest he knows more about the creature than he reveals.
• Tindalos shifts from appearing restrained and intimidating to acting like an exuberant, mischievous dog. It seems to enjoy the outing, obeys Liu to some extent, and displays overwhelming supernatural abilities.
• The French Plane Tree is revealed to be extremely fearful of Tindalos, reacting with panic rather than its usual composure.

Significant themes

• Power and danger: Liu’s safety depends on an item that may eventually break, emphasizing the precariousness of dealing with supernatural beings.
• Appearance versus reality: Tindalos looks and behaves like a dog but is actually an otherworldly entity capable of transforming into smoke and ignoring physical attacks.
• Control and powerlessness: Although Liu is nominally walking the dog, Tindalos controls the pace and direction, reversing the usual owner-pet relationship.
• Humor amid horror: The chapter repeatedly treats terrifying cosmic phenomena as mundane inconveniences, such as taking a dangerous Hound for a walk or arguing about leash etiquette.

Character interactions

• Liu and Miniature Man engage in a humorous negotiation, with Liu rejecting money and Miniature Man persistently returning to his request.
• Liu develops an unusual means of communication with Tindalos through its howls and gestures.
• The security guard’s fear contrasts with Liu’s reluctant attempt to act normally.
• Liu’s casual introduction of Tindalos to the French Plane Tree immediately triggers the Tree’s panic and leads to a supernatural confrontation, ending with Tindalos apparently attacking or playfully targeting the Tree.

Chapter Summary: “Liu Zheng, I’ll Fuck Your Uncle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng uses Tindalos, a terrifying Hound, to frighten the French Plane Tree as revenge for the tree repeatedly tricking him.
• The tree suffers visibly, with its leaves withering and its face aging, but it retaliates by revealing that Natasha Marceau is buried beneath the black soil and trapped inside a root cage.
• The Hound attacks the tree’s roots to reach Natasha, easily tearing through them, while the French Plane Tree claims that protecting Natasha from such a powerful creature exceeds its abilities.
• Liu Zheng realizes he has created the crisis himself and has only about a minute to find a solution. Tindalos ignores his commands, making it clear that Liu Zheng is not truly its master.
• Remembering that Tindalos is fond of people it likes and is responsive to food, Liu Zheng opens his Legendary Delivery Box and uses a serving of Garlic Mi-go Brain to lure it away.
• The tactic succeeds: Tindalos obeys commands such as “sit,” eats the brain enthusiastically, and leaves the black-soil area, allowing Natasha to survive.
• Tindalos rewards Liu Zheng by spitting out a single-use “Tindalos Chew Toy,” an item capable of summoning a Tindalos Hound for three minutes. It also takes Liu Zheng’s bone whistle, which can apparently guide or summon it.
• Once Tindalos disappears, the French Plane Tree immediately attempts to attack Liu Zheng. He threatens to summon the Hound again, forcing the tree to back down.
• Liu Zheng and the tree negotiate compensation, with Liu Zheng promising two bottles of liquor. The tree then angrily throws him two kilometers away, after which he limps back toward the Restaurant.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates both vindictiveness and resourcefulness. He deliberately uses Tindalos to vent his resentment against the tree, but quickly regrets provoking a danger he cannot control.
• He shows growing understanding of Tindalos’s behavior, recognizing that food and affection work better than direct commands. His improvisation saves Natasha and turns a disastrous situation into a valuable gain.
• Liu Zheng also becomes more confident in using threats and bargaining to control dangerous beings, though his reckless humor continues to provoke conflict.
• The French Plane Tree reveals a more calculating side. It exploits the loophole in its promise to protect Natasha and takes satisfaction in turning Liu Zheng’s own scheme against him. Despite its hostility, it is intimidated by Tindalos and readily compromises to protect itself.
• Tindalos is characterized as immensely powerful, independent, and surprisingly doglike. It ignores Liu Zheng’s authority but responds enthusiastically to food, follows simple commands, and rewards him with a powerful summoning item.

Significant Themes

• The danger of manipulating forces beyond one’s control: Liu Zheng brings Tindalos in for revenge but nearly causes Natasha’s death and loses control of the situation.
• Rules, loopholes, and reciprocity: The conflict hinges on the exact limits of the tree’s promise and the way each character uses agreements to outmaneuver the others.
• Power balanced by cleverness: Liu Zheng cannot defeat Tindalos or protect Natasha through strength, but he succeeds by identifying its appetite and exploiting its instincts.
• Humor amid danger: Threats of death, supernatural creatures, and Natasha’s imprisonment are undercut by banter about liquor, dog-walking, periods, and going to hell together.
• Unstable alliances: Liu Zheng and the French Plane Tree are enemies who repeatedly cooperate when necessary, while Tindalos is simultaneously a threat, a weapon, and a pet-like companion.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng taunts and frightens the French Plane Tree with Tindalos, while the tree retaliates by exposing Natasha’s predicament.
• The tree refuses to fight Tindalos directly and uses the wording of its promise to justify leaving Natasha unprotected.
• Liu Zheng attempts to command Tindalos, discovers it will not obey, and instead wins its cooperation through food and affectionate “pet” commands.
• Tindalos intimidates the tree simply by pointing at it, forcing the tree to pretend that it and Liu Zheng are allies.
• After Tindalos leaves, Liu Zheng and the tree resume their hostile relationship, exchanging threats and negotiating liquor as compensation before the tree angrily ejects him.