Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Traces of the Round God Sect”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nile Doctor gives Liu Zheng three supernatural items in exchange for his assistance:
  • Jesus’s Chest Binding Cloth, which transforms the user’s appearance into that of a flat-chested woman.
  • Devious Lighter, which has an equal chance of igniting or exploding whenever used.
  • Unpredictable Cigarettes, which can be used indefinitely but produce random flavors and possible harmful effects.
• Liu Zheng learns that the lighter and cigarettes came from the same dying patient. Nile Doctor treated the unidentified illness with Ra’s divine power, allowing the patient to live comfortably for another month. In return, the patient made Nile Doctor a secret promise that serves as a final trump card for the Descendants of Ra.
• Nile Doctor explains that Ra’s power is weakened in the Sewer, especially because Ra was badly injured in a previous divine war. Neither he nor Ra knows—or is willing to reveal—the true nature of that war.
• Liu Zheng returns to the Sewer through Rose Street and meets Sha-chan.
• Sha-chan reports fighting a mysterious group wearing masks marked with circles. Several members died, while the survivors fled.
• Liu Zheng identifies them as members of the Round God Sect, a criminal organization involved in theft, kidnapping, trafficking, and smuggling. City Hall is already hunting them, but their use of the Sewer explains why they have been difficult to capture.
• Sha-chan has preserved the corpses. Liu Zheng persuades him to hand them over so Liu Zheng can give them to a City Hall contact, helping that person improve their record and potentially making it easier for Liu Zheng to request future assistance.
• Fisherman transports Liu Zheng and Sha-chan on a beautiful crystal-clear devil ray. He reveals that he spent twenty years cultivating it as a coming-of-age gift for Sea Woman but has been unable to give it to her because he cannot bring himself to speak openly with her.

Character Development

• Liu Zheng remains practical, opportunistic, and humorous. He recognizes the potential value of seemingly ridiculous supernatural items and plans to use the Round God Sect corpses to build political goodwill with City Hall.
• Nile Doctor is shown to possess hidden resources and a deeper connection to the Descendants of Ra. His mysterious bargain with the dying patient and knowledge of a secret trump card suggest that he is preparing for a future crisis.
• Sha-chan proves powerful but impulsive and suspicious. He readily fights the Round God Sect when they attack him, yet trusts Liu Zheng enough to surrender their bodies after hearing his explanation.
• Fisherman displays a softer, paternal side beneath his gruff personality. His inability to give Sea Woman the gift reveals emotional awkwardness and regret about their strained relationship.
• Liu Zheng’s orphanhood becomes relevant when Fisherman tells him to ask his parents for advice. Liu Zheng’s brief response reinforces the personal distance and losses underlying his usual joking manner.

Significant Themes

• Humor amid danger: The chapter repeatedly uses absurd item descriptions, crude jokes, and banter to offset serious subjects such as death, divine wars, and criminal violence.
• Hidden power and preparation: Nile Doctor’s secret promise, Ra’s weakened state, and the unusual items suggest that major threats are developing beneath the surface.
• The Sewer as a marginal world: The Sewer shelters criminals, weakened gods, strange creatures, and people excluded from ordinary society. It is both dangerous and strategically important.
• Trust and cooperation: Liu Zheng relies on relationships with Sha-chan, Fisherman, Nile Doctor, and City Hall rather than acting alone. His ability to mediate between different groups is a major asset.
• Family and emotional difficulty: Fisherman’s unspoken affection for Sea Woman contrasts with Liu Zheng’s lack of parents, highlighting different forms of family separation and regret.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Nile Doctor exchange sarcastic jokes, with Nile Doctor becoming genuinely angry when Liu Zheng implies that the patient died because of his treatment.
• Liu Zheng and Sha-chan maintain a friendly, teasing relationship, though Liu Zheng carefully prevents Sha-chan from pursuing further violence against the Round God Sect.
• Liu Zheng flatters Fisherman to soften his irritation, then teases him about his inability to give Sea Woman the manta ray.
• Fisherman’s defensive response to Liu Zheng’s comments reveals that his harsh exterior conceals embarrassment and parental affection.

Chapter Summary: “Making a Fortune off the Dead”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng, Sha-chan, and Fisherman travel by manta ray to a riverbank where nine corpses of Round God Sect believers have been arranged in a pyramid.
• The bodies are surrounded by a circular trap made from axe marks. Sha-chan safely dispels the trap, explaining that each axe phantom would strike with the force of his full power.
• With Sha-chan and Fisherman guarding him, Liu Zheng searches the corpses. He finds over fifty thousand in cash, jewelry, watches, five gold bars, and several supernatural items.
• His most valuable discovery is the Divination Compass, which predicts whether the user’s next action will bring good or bad fortune. Liu Zheng keeps it, recognizing its usefulness for testing dangerous items such as the Black Carp Dragon’s Grievance Sarira.
• Sha-chan allows Liu Zheng to keep the non-cash loot, while the corpses are swallowed and transported by Fisherman’s manta ray.
• Near the instance entrance, Fisherman returns the bodies and provides Liu Zheng with a bucket of strange fish requested by the Kitchen. He also catches two powerful supernatural fish: one black and one white.
• The fish combine into a rapidly spinning yin-yang form and attack Liu Zheng. He avoids using the Cleaver’s edge after the system warns that True Damage could destroy spiritual items.
• Fisherman subdues the fish with a net. Liu Zheng obtains the Yin Fish and Yang Fish, single-use items that grant powerful passive abilities:
  • Yin Fish Power increases Constitution and may inflict piercing damage.
  • Yang Fish Power increases Strength and may inflict explosive damage.
  • Together, while physically connected to someone possessing the opposite power, they evolve into Yin-Yang Power, granting both attribute boosts and damage effects.
• Since Liu Zheng does not want to rely on another person being physically connected to him, he considers auctioning the fish.
• Sha-chan apologizes for not having more items to contribute to Liu Zheng’s auction, but Liu Zheng points out that Sha-chan gave him the Divination Compass outright rather than merely lending it.
• Sha-chan reassures Liu Zheng that he is working to have his wanted notice revoked. Liu Zheng denies trying to escape and claims he was merely exploring the river mouth.
• Liu Zheng bribes Fisherman with the promise of helping him give the manta ray to Sea Woman. Fisherman then uses his own hair to create a net and helps Liu Zheng collect the corpses.
• Liu Zheng leaves the fish with French Plane Tree, using flattery to persuade the tree to guard them while he handles the bodies. French Plane Tree becomes irritated when Liu Zheng tries to use Ginseng Baby as an alternative caretaker, forcing Liu Zheng to supervise the fish himself.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng considering whom to give the corpses to: the Public Security Division, the Anti-Slavery Faction, or Silver Wolf in the Market Supervision Bureau. He has not yet revealed his final choice.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Zheng becomes increasingly resourceful and opportunistic. He turns the battlefield into a source of wealth, carefully evaluates the usefulness of supernatural items, and negotiates favors with stronger characters.
• Sha-chan is shown to be powerful but generous and protective. He permits Liu Zheng to search the bodies, gives him the Divination Compass, guards him, and promises to help clear his wanted status.
• Fisherman remains abrasive and sarcastic, repeatedly mocking Liu Zheng’s weakness and boasting. Nevertheless, he protects Liu Zheng, catches the supernatural fish, transports the bodies, and assists when offered a tempting favor.
• French Plane Tree maintains its proud, irritable personality but is ultimately dependable. Its exchange with Liu Zheng highlights how Liu Zheng uses flattery and manipulation to obtain cooperation.
• Ginseng Baby is eager to escape ballet practice, while Liu Zheng refuses to let her avoid it.
• Liu Zheng’s interactions with Sha-chan show growing trust and familiarity, while his exchanges with Fisherman are defined by teasing, bargaining, and mutual irritation.

Significant Themes

• Profiting from danger and death: Liu Zheng treats the corpses as a valuable resource, emphasizing the pragmatic and exploitative nature of the supernatural world.
• Trust and reciprocal favors: Relationships are built through gifts, promises, protection, and strategic bargaining rather than simple friendship.
• Power versus caution: Liu Zheng possesses dangerous weapons and items but must constantly balance their strength against the risk of damaging or losing valuable supernatural objects.
• Resourcefulness and survival: Rather than relying solely on combat, Liu Zheng uses negotiation, deception, flattery, and calculated decision-making.
• Loyalty and dependence: Sha-chan’s generosity contrasts with Liu Zheng’s usual self-reliance, while the Yin and Yang Fish raise the question of whether he is willing to depend physically or strategically on another person.

Chapter Summary: “Liu Zheng: You Sure Are Filially Killing Them”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng contacts Border Management Bureau officers 4399 and 8848 to hand over nine corpses of Round God Sect believers recovered from the Sewer.
• The officers accept the bodies, though 8848 recognizes that the wounds look suspiciously familiar, hinting that Liu Zheng may know more about their deaths than he admits.
• Liu Zheng successfully presents himself as cooperating with City Hall and argues that remaining at the Bloodstained Restaurant is more useful than formally joining the government.
• He asks 4399 and 8848 to share the credit for obtaining the corpses with Silver Wolf and Ace, a Hobbit from the Public Security Division who has previously helped him. The request is approved because Liu Zheng’s contributions have already benefited the organization.
• Liu Zheng reveals that he will soon leave the country again and asks the two officers for advice. They promise to report the matter and contact him later.
• The French Plane Tree insults both the departing City Hall officers and Liu Zheng, then resumes forcing Ginseng Baby to practice its court ballet.
• Liu Zheng calls Nightingale and asks her to obtain another favor from Ace: helping a pair of twins change their names. He also discusses Nightingale’s dangerous family situation and suggests luring her siblings to strategic locations where powerful allies could help kill them.
• Liu Zheng considers several possible battle sites:
  • The Sewer, protected by Fisherman and Sha-chan.
  • Rose Street, defended by the French Plane Tree and its allies.
  • The Cemetery, where Red Pig and possibly the gravedigger could provide support.
  • The clinic is rejected because it would expose the Sphinx and Nile Doctor to retaliation.
  • The apartment is ruled out because Nightingale and Sea Woman would likely die if monks interrupted the fight.
• At Green Laurel Garden Crazy City, Liu Zheng encounters the Half-Whitehead security guard. The guard demands the hundred thousand Liu Zheng previously promised for information.
• Instead of paying cash, Liu Zheng gives him a valuable real gold bar, explaining that it compensates for the guard’s injuries and is worth more than the original payment.
• Liu Zheng wins the guard over through money, food, and friendly manipulation, persuading him to call him “Brother Liu” and prepare to share his information.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng continues to demonstrate strategic cunning, social flexibility, and an ability to exploit both official and unofficial networks. He conceals his involvement in the Round God believers’ deaths while using the corpses to gain political credit.
• He also shows a practical moral code: although willing to manipulate people and arrange dangerous confrontations, he refuses to endanger innocent or valuable allies unnecessarily, as shown by his rejection of the clinic as a battlefield.
• 4399 remains restrained and analytical. He recognizes important facts, explains the Holmes family’s Peanut companions, and handles Liu Zheng’s requests through official channels.
• 8848 acts as the more teasing and perceptive officer. He notices the suspicious wounds and playfully probes Liu Zheng’s intentions, but ultimately cooperates with him.
• Nightingale is increasingly focused on eliminating her siblings and reclaiming her position as heir. She remains capable of humor and flirtation but recognizes the risks involved in confronting her family.
• The Half-Whitehead security guard shifts from resentment and suspicion to reluctant cooperation after Liu Zheng gives him real gold. His dependence on Liu Zheng’s money makes him easier to control.
• The French Plane Tree remains antagonistic and disdainful toward City Hall and Liu Zheng, while continuing its absurd attempt to train Ginseng Baby in court ballet.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation through favors and alliances: Liu Zheng builds influence by trading corpses, information, money, and personal favors across government, criminal, and supernatural networks.
• Pragmatism versus morality: He is willing to arrange lethal traps for Nightingale’s family but carefully avoids sacrificing uninvolved allies.
• Institutional politics and credit: Liu Zheng understands that recognition from City Hall can be as valuable as direct power, so he negotiates how credit for his achievements is distributed.
• Money and loyalty: The gold bar demonstrates that wealth can transform hostility into cooperation, especially in a dangerous society where genuine gold is extremely rare.
• Family conflict and filial betrayal: Nightingale’s desire to kill her brothers and sisters while preserving her father’s life creates the chapter’s central darkly comic tension, reflected in the title.
• Human and nonhuman cooperation: The chapter emphasizes the complex relationships among humans, Hobbits, supernatural beings, government officials, and independent creatures.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and 4399/8848 maintain a joking but mutually beneficial relationship. Liu Zheng flatters them as “brothers,” while they recognize both his usefulness and his tendency to cause trouble.
• Liu Zheng negotiates with 4399 and 8848 as an unofficial ally, asking them to distribute credit and support his wider plans.
• Liu Zheng and Nightingale speak flirtatiously but discuss serious matters, including her succession struggle, the monks guarding her residence, and methods for eliminating her siblings.
• Liu Zheng treats the Half-Whitehead guard as both a business partner and a subordinate friend, using food, money, and forced familiarity to secure his cooperation.
• The French Plane Tree’s insults toward everyone provide comic contrast to Liu Zheng’s more calculated dealings and underline its hostility toward both City Hall and Liu Zheng.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng asks the Half-Whitehead security guard how to obtain an Honorary Homeowner Medal, realizing that it would grant him cooperation from property management and residents while making deliveries in Green Laurel Garden.
• He learns that the medal requires recommendations from either ten new homeowners or three residents who have lived in the complex for over ten years. Two people Liu Zheng recently helped qualify, leaving him needing only one more recommendation.
• After bribing the security guard, Liu Zheng learns about a long-term resident in Building 15, Room 304, a Bound Spirit who wants to “become a Buddha”—meaning he wants to resolve his lingering obsession and be laid to rest in the Cemetery.
• The ghost cannot move on because he wants someone to hold a proper funeral for him, acting as his son or grandson. However, he demands that the person first kill their entire immediate family, making it impossible to find a volunteer.
• The ghost’s terrible singing causes supernatural noise pollution throughout the neighborhood. Property management cannot forcibly deal with him because his father was a City Hall hero, giving him special protection.
• Liu Zheng briefly considers framing the ghost as a serious criminal so others could eliminate him, but rejects the idea because the ghost has not actually committed a grave offense. He even slaps himself to suppress the wicked thought.
• After learning that the homeowner’s apartment cannot be inherited or sold, Liu Zheng asks whether helping the ghost would earn additional rewards. When the guard questions whether he would sacrifice his family for such little compensation, Liu Zheng reveals that he is an orphan.
• The guard tells Liu Zheng to claim that property management sent him. Liu then stabs the guard in the shoulder after receiving the bribe, warning him not to take money and still obstruct his work.
• Liu enters the complex, reaches Room 304, and introduces himself to the ghost as someone sent to mourn for him.
• The ghost becomes ecstatic at finally finding someone willing to serve as his descendant. Liu insists on being called the ghost’s son rather than grandson, but the ghost cheerfully ignores the distinction and forcibly drags him inside.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates his increasingly calculating and opportunistic nature. He uses flattery, bribery, intimidation, and violence to secure the information and access he needs.
• Despite his ruthless behavior, Liu shows a developing moral boundary. He rejects the idea of falsely portraying the ghost as a criminal simply to have him killed, recognizing that doing so would make him no better than the Worms he despises.
• Liu’s revelation that he is an orphan explains his lack of concern over the ghost’s demand to eliminate one’s family. He views his lack of family ties as a practical advantage rather than a tragedy.
• The Half-Whitehead security guard is established as hardworking, ambitious, and proud of his rural origins. He is willing to help Liu after being bribed but remains wary of the dangers posed by the complex’s older residents.
• The guard’s admiration for Liu grows because Liu rewards him more generously than the city residents and authorities do. However, Liu’s sudden stabbing reminds him that Liu’s generosity is paired with considerable danger.
• The Room 304 Bound Spirit is portrayed as lonely, eccentric, and socially isolated. His obsession with receiving a proper funeral has become so extreme that he demands an impossible and grotesque demonstration of filial devotion.

Significant Themes

• Survival through manipulation: In the Metropolis, information, access, and safety are obtained through bribery, social maneuvering, and intimidation.
• The exploitation of the dead: Even after death, individuals are treated as resources. The neighbors view the Bound Spirit as either a nuisance or valuable soul-energy, while property management wants his problem resolved without risking conflict.
• Family and social bonds: The ghost’s obsession with descendants reflects the importance of blood ties, while Liu’s orphan status leaves him outside the familial structures that govern most people’s choices.
• Morality in a brutal world: Liu is willing to threaten and injure people for practical goals, yet he still struggles against unnecessary cruelty and refuses to manufacture a justification for killing someone harmless.
• Bureaucracy and privilege: The ghost’s protection comes from his father’s status as a City Hall hero, demonstrating how official connections shield individuals from consequences.
• The meaning of “becoming a Buddha”: The phrase is used ironically to describe a spirit finally resolving its obsession and passing on, but the process is complicated by personal trauma, loneliness, and unreasonable demands.

Character Interactions

• Liu and the security guard bond over their rural backgrounds and shared desire to succeed in the city, though Liu’s financial generosity and later violence reveal the unequal and dangerous nature of their relationship.
• Liu pressures the guard into identifying a suitable long-term homeowner, combining friendly conversation with bribery.
• The guard warns Liu about the dangers of the old residents but ultimately directs him to the ghost in Room 304.
• Liu and the ghost immediately clash over the roles of “son” and “grandson,” but the ghost’s overwhelming excitement prevents any real negotiation.
• Their interaction ends with the ghost physically pulling Liu into the apartment, setting up Liu’s attempt to resolve the ghost’s obsession and obtain the recommendation he needs.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng visits a deceased old man who has become a Bound Spirit in Room 304 of Building 15. The old man wants Liu Zheng to act as his grandson and properly mourn him.
• Their meeting quickly becomes a hostile but humorous argument. The old man attempts to intimidate Liu Zheng by merging with the house and transforming into a gigantic corpse, but Liu Zheng refuses to submit and prepares to use his Delivery Slip to escape.
• The old man eventually returns to his normal appearance after exploding in rage. Liu Zheng mocks him, then uses gold bars to prove that he has the resources to arrange burial companions and other funeral-related services.
• Liu Zheng reveals that he wants the old man to recommend him for the position of Honorary Owner. In exchange, he agrees to conduct a respectable funeral and mourn sincerely. The old man accepts and promises to write a recommendation letter.
• Despite their antagonistic relationship, Liu Zheng gives the old man money for electricity and repairs, offers to bring him better tea and food, and criticizes him for allowing his home to become shabby.
• Before Liu Zheng leaves to complete another delivery, the old man warns him about the occupant of Building 17, Unit 501. He describes the resident as mentally powerful and potentially dangerous.
• The old man gives Liu Zheng a cup of “Thick Phlegm Tea,” supposedly containing his soul power, and secretly explains how to use it as a threat.
• At Unit 501, Liu Zheng repeatedly knocks because the occupant refuses to answer the door. When the door finally opens, the resident attacks him with numerous black shadows and sends him flying, though Liu Zheng suffers only minor injuries due to his resilience.
• The resident is revealed to be a six-tentacled Tentacle Monster. When it tries to drive Liu Zheng away, Liu Zheng threatens to splash the old man’s phlegm tea on its door, causing the old man’s terrible singing and dream-haunting abilities to affect the home.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng and the Tentacle Monster preparing for a confrontation, each threatening to kill the other.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates his stubbornness, confidence, resourcefulness, and willingness to challenge stronger supernatural beings. He refuses to become obediently controlled by the old man but is willing to negotiate when it benefits him.
• He also shows unexpected compassion and responsibility by giving the old man money, promising to bring him supplies, and insisting that he maintain a respectable home and funeral arrangement.
• Liu Zheng proves capable of turning seemingly useless or disgusting items into strategic tools. He uses the old man’s phlegm as leverage against the dangerous resident of Unit 501.
• The old Bound Spirit is revealed as irritable, prideful, lonely, and eager for familial recognition. Beneath his threatening behavior, he is pleased by Liu Zheng’s attention and secretly appreciates being treated like family.
• The old man’s desire to be mourned and acknowledged appears more important to him than material gain. He ultimately cooperates with Liu Zheng and even helps him despite their constant arguments.
• The Tentacle Monster is introduced as aggressive, powerful, impatient, and highly protective of its home. However, it has a clear fear and resentment toward the old man’s singing and dream harassment, giving Liu Zheng an immediate means of control.

3. Significant Themes

• Family and chosen relationships: The old man wants Liu Zheng to be his grandson, while Liu Zheng resists the label but gradually behaves in a caring, familial manner. Their relationship is built through conflict, bargaining, and mutual assistance rather than blood.
• Respect for the dead: The chapter explores the importance of funerals, mourning, burial, and posthumous dignity in this supernatural society. Liu Zheng treats these matters practically but still recognizes their emotional significance.
• Mutual exchange and negotiation: Neither character acts out of pure generosity. Liu Zheng offers mourning and practical help in return for a recommendation, while the old man provides information and spiritual assistance in exchange for being treated as family.
• Power through wit rather than strength: Liu Zheng cannot necessarily overpower the Bound Spirit or the Tentacle Monster, but he survives by using threats, loopholes, money, and psychological leverage.
• Appearance versus reality: The old man’s grotesque transformations contrast with his ordinary, even vulnerable personality. Likewise, Liu Zheng’s insults and bravado coexist with genuine concern for the dead man.
• Humor amid horror: Rotten corpses, soul-powered phlegm, dream torture, and violent supernatural attacks are presented through sarcastic arguments and absurd everyday concerns such as utility bills, property management, deliveries, and bad tea.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the old man constantly insult and challenge one another, but their exchanges gradually reveal mutual respect and affection.
• Their argument over the tea establishes their relationship: the old man demands obedience and familial recognition, while Liu Zheng insists on independence and honesty.
• Liu Zheng’s decision to drink the terrible tea despite disliking it, followed by his financial assistance, shows that he is willing to make personal sacrifices while still mocking the old man.
• The old man warns Liu Zheng about the dangerous customer and provides the Thick Phlegm Tea, effectively helping him despite claiming that Liu Zheng is not truly his grandson.
• Liu Zheng then uses the old man’s supernatural abilities against the Tentacle Monster, turning the old man’s nuisance into a weapon.
• The final exchange between Liu Zheng and the Tentacle Monster shifts from a routine delivery dispute into a supernatural standoff, setting up the next conflict.

Chapter Summary: “You’re Taking a Master, Not Getting Married”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng attempts to deliver an exquisite abalone to the Tentacle Monster, but the recipient refuses to sign for it because accepting the delivery may put them in danger.
• To persuade the Tentacle Monster, Liu Zheng offers several incentives:
  • Help from the Gravekeeper to strengthen the old Bound Spirit, whom Liu Zheng wants to adopt as his “grandfather.”
  • A future supreme treasure capable of raising an undead creature by at least one tier.
  • Access to guidance from a powerful author.
• Their argument turns into a negotiation over writing careers. The Tentacle Monster reveals that it is a novelist struggling to reach the Premium Author level, while Liu Zheng exposes his own experience as a Premium writer and producer.
• Liu Zheng proves his connections by mentioning Izanami, a Grandmaster Author living nearby, and by claiming familiarity with Fool, an extremely famous Active Platinum Author.
• The Tentacle Monster becomes interested when Liu Zheng offers an opportunity to meet Fool and possibly become his disciple. Liu Zheng clarifies that he can only arrange a meeting, not guarantee that Fool will accept the Tentacle Monster as a student.
• As collateral for his promise, Liu Zheng gives the Tentacle Monster an indestructible beer bottle, which the latter reluctantly accepts.
• The Tentacle Monster finally signs for the delivery and receives the abalone.
• The Tentacle Monster begins overplanning the apprenticeship meeting, discussing ceremonies, hotel bookings, an emcee, and formal clothing. Liu Zheng mocks them for treating an apprenticeship like a wedding, though he recommends a tailor from the Weaver-Spider Clan if they want custom clothes.
• Before Liu Zheng leaves, the Tentacle Monster asks for the cup of tea associated with Old Ghost Head. They intend to use the ghost to torment noisy college students living in Room 503.
• Liu Zheng agrees and gives them the teacup. In return, the Tentacle Monster presents him with two small bottles decorated with different tentacle designs. The chapter ends just as Liu Zheng examines their item descriptions.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates resourcefulness, confidence, and a talent for bargaining. He repeatedly turns his unusual connections and possessions into leverage, even while facing a potentially fatal delivery.
• He also reveals more about his background as a Premium Author and his connections to major figures in the writing world, including Izanami and Fool.
• Liu Zheng’s relationship with Old Ghost Head becomes clearer: he sincerely wants to treat the Bound Spirit as family and is willing to seek rare items to improve his strength.
• The Tentacle Monster is revealed to be an ambitious but frustrated novelist trapped just below the Premium level. Their desperation to improve explains why they eventually accept the dangerous delivery.
• The Tentacle Monster is skeptical, argumentative, and vindictive, but also easily excited by famous authors and eager for recognition. Their plans for meeting Fool become increasingly obsessive and comical.
• The Tentacle Monster’s grudge against the college students in Room 503 shows a spiteful side, though they avoid confronting the students directly because of their protected social status.

Significant Themes

• Creative ambition and frustration: The Tentacle Monster’s struggle to reach Premium status reflects the difficulty of crossing professional thresholds and the emotional cost of creative failure.
• Connections as power: Liu Zheng’s relationships with authors, supernatural figures, and powerful factions are more valuable than conventional wealth or strength.
• Negotiation and mutual exploitation: Both characters try to manipulate the other, but the deal succeeds because each has something the other wants.
• Absurdity and satire: The chapter humorously compares supernatural danger, literary careers, and apprenticeships to everyday disputes and social transactions.
• Family beyond blood: Liu Zheng’s desire to adopt Old Ghost Head as a grandfather suggests that bonds and loyalty can be formed through choice rather than birth.
• Social hierarchy: Authors, college students, undead beings, and supernatural organizations all possess different forms of status, shaping how characters behave and whom they can safely oppose.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Tentacle Monster engage in a long, hostile but increasingly cooperative negotiation.
• Their insults gradually become a form of familiarity, with both recognizing the other’s eccentricity and competence.
• Liu Zheng uses his relationship with Old Ghost Head, the Gravekeeper, Izanami, and Fool to persuade the Tentacle Monster.
• The Tentacle Monster trades its agreement to accept the delivery for the possibility of meeting Fool and later exchanges two mysterious bottles for the teacup.
• Their final exchange establishes a temporary alliance: Liu Zheng promises access to Fool, while the Tentacle Monster accepts the dangerous delivery and helps Liu Zheng solve the problem of transporting it.

Chapter Summary: “Nothing Tentacles Can’t Solve”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Tentacle Monster shows Liu Zheng two valuable items:
  • Tentacle Care Liquid, which increases Charm for beings with tentacles.
  • Tentacle Fortification Liquid, which grants Strength +5 and improves tentacle toughness and hardness.
• Liu Zheng sincerely admires the items and promises to arrange repayment for the Tentacle Monster. When the “cashier” arrives, the monster abruptly becomes terrified and emotionless, forcing Liu Zheng to leave. He worries about its survival but uses both liquids on himself before departing.
• Liu visits Old Ghost Head to arrange access to its phlegm, which the Tentacle Monster wants to use against several college students. Old Ghost Head agrees because helping Liu may improve his chances of receiving the Honorary Homeowner Medal.
• Their conversation reveals Old Ghost Head’s crude and self-serving personality. In exchange for his cooperation, he asks Liu to purchase extravagant services from the “Died Happy” funeral parlor, including “Eighteen Escorts” and “Sister Blossoms.” Liu agrees only to ask about the cost.
• At the community entrance, Liu exchanges a secret signal with the Half-Whitehead security guard, who appears to approve of Liu’s recent improvement. Liu humorously envies the guard’s ability to move his hair.
• Back at the Restaurant, Cow-Horse wants to use Liu’s previously pawned beer bottle to test the hardness of a supernatural collectible walnut. Liu explains that he gave the bottle to the Tentacle Monster as collateral. Cow-Horse warns that the monster may behave irrationally, but Liu remains confident that he can handle the situation.
• Liu receives an unexpected phone call from Fool, whom he had been trying to contact. After some mutual flattery, they discuss several matters.
• Fool explains that Novelist and Hishikibe are imprisoned in the Writers Association’s Black Chimpanzee Room for violating Association rules. They must meet daily writing quotas and pass strict manuscript reviews.
• Liu asks Fool to help release them early. Fool agrees to act as guarantor, but demands a bronze coffin carried by nine dragons in return.
• Liu initially believes the coffin is carried by true dragons, but Fool clarifies that they are centipedes with True Dragon bloodlines. Fool offers to help Liu subdue them, though he will receive no additional reward beyond the guarantee.
• Fool reveals that the Nine-Dragon Coffin is located in the Cemetery, establishing Liu’s next major objective.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng becomes stronger through the Tentacle Fortification Liquid and Tentacle Care Liquid. He continues relying on clever negotiations and supernatural resources while showing growing confidence in his own combat abilities.
• Liu also demonstrates loyalty and responsibility by checking on Novelist and Hishikibe and seeking a way to release them early, even when the requested payment is extremely dangerous.
• The Tentacle Monster is shown to possess rare and useful resources but remains vulnerable to fear or coercion when the cashier arrives. Its relationship with Liu is based on mutual benefit and growing trust.
• Old Ghost Head reveals that beneath his selfishness, he feels indebted to Liu’s family and is willing to help Liu for his great-grandfather’s sake. However, his shameless appetite for entertainment and luxury remains intact.
• Cow-Horse remains competitive, greedy, and suspicious. It protects its supernatural walnut from Liu while criticizing his decision to pawn the beer bottle.
• Fool continues presenting himself as generous and cultured, but his requests are calculated. He uses his influence within the Writers Association to negotiate with Liu while teasing and encouraging him toward dangerous tasks.
• Novelist and Hishikibe do not appear directly, but their imprisonment motivates Liu’s conversation with Fool and advances the wider plot.

Significant Themes

• Negotiation and reciprocal favors: Nearly every relationship depends on exchange. Liu trades assistance, money, or future promises for information and protection.
• Power through unconventional resources: Items such as tentacle liquids, ghost phlegm, a beer bottle, and a supernatural coffin show that seemingly absurd objects can have tremendous value in this world.
• Community and mutual obligation: Old Ghost Head helps Liu because of his connection to Liu’s family, while Liu helps others despite inconvenience and danger.
• Humor amid danger: Threatening supernatural events are repeatedly undercut by ridiculous requests, crude jokes, and mundane concerns such as walnuts, funeral services, and takeout delivery.
• Risk versus practicality: Liu repeatedly weighs danger against usefulness. He is willing to pursue the Nine-Dragon Coffin but also recognizes when retreat or leaving someone imprisoned is the more sensible choice.
• Reputation and social standing: The Honorary Homeowner Medal, Writers Association membership, and Fool’s political ambitions demonstrate how status and institutional connections matter as much as raw strength.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Tentacle Monster: They negotiate over the two tentacle-enhancing liquids, establishing mutual respect and practical cooperation.
• Liu Zheng and Old Ghost Head: Their banter combines familial obligation, insults, and negotiation. Old Ghost Head agrees to help with the college students, while Liu considers fulfilling his outrageous funeral-parlor requests.
• Liu Zheng and the Half-Whitehead security guard: They communicate through a discreet hand signal, suggesting an alliance or friendly understanding.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse: Their exchange highlights Cow-Horse’s possessiveness and Liu’s curiosity about the supernatural walnut. Cow-Horse also warns him not to underestimate the Tentacle Monster.
• Liu Zheng and Fool: Their initially polite flattery develops into serious bargaining. Liu seeks information and help for Novelist and Hishikibe, while Fool uses the opportunity to recruit him indirectly and obtain the Nine-Dragon Coffin.
• Liu Zheng and Novelist/Hishikibe: Though absent, they remain central to Liu’s decision-making, as he is willing to risk confronting the coffin to secure their early release.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng and the Fool discuss three matters:
  1. The delivery destination: They agree that Liu Zheng will deliver the Fool’s requested target to a cemetery, which suits the Fool’s interest in a coffin. Liu Zheng plans to exploit the delivery for his own grave-robbing plans.
  2. Tentacle Monster’s apprenticeship request: The Fool refuses to take Tentacle Monster as a disciple but agrees to meet them for afternoon tea and exchange writing advice.
  3. A gift for the Fool: Liu Zheng plans to give the Fool a mysterious Yarn Ball, believing it may appeal to them as it did to Calico Cat and Sphinx. The Fool invites both Liu Zheng and Tentacle Monster to Original Fortress for tea.
• Cow-Horse struggles to crack an extraordinarily hard walnut, chipping one of their powerful horns. The walnut survives being kicked into a metal cabinet and becomes embedded in it.
• Cow-Horse reveals the walnut came from their deceased father, Champion Cow-Horse, and considers it a treasured relic. Liu Zheng persuades them to lend it to him so he can find someone capable of opening it, though Cow-Horse warns him not to damage or steal it.
• Liu Zheng arranges a fish delivery with White-Feather Chicken and contacts Salmon to ask what foods cats enjoy, intending to improve his gifts and bargaining position with the Fool.
• Calico Cat asks to accompany Liu Zheng to afternoon tea. White-Feather Chicken allows it, provided Calico Cat gives up the reward from their previous outing and brings food and drinks back for the Kitchen staff.
• Cow-Horse proposes recruiting Calico Cat into the Delivery Department to strengthen Liu Zheng’s position after Cow-Horse resigns. Liu Zheng objects, worried that Calico Cat might be misled or abandoned, and convinces Cow-Horse not to force the issue.
• Liu Zheng finally informs Tentacle Monster about the Fool’s invitation. Tentacle Monster is initially disappointed about not becoming a disciple, then becomes wildly excited and panicked at the prospect of meeting their idol.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng continues to balance diplomacy, opportunism, and responsibility. He cleverly negotiates with the Fool, seeks useful gifts, and tries to protect Calico Cat from being exploited by Cow-Horse’s political plans.
• The Fool demonstrates trust in Liu Zheng while maintaining subtle authority and power. They reject formal discipleship but show genuine interest in meeting Tentacle Monster and exchanging knowledge.
• Cow-Horse is revealed to be stubborn, proud, and unexpectedly politically strategic. Their concern for the Delivery Department’s future shows leadership and foresight, although their recruitment scheme risks manipulating Calico Cat.
• Tentacle Monster is intensely devoted to the Fool as an author and idol. Their excitement exposes an almost obsessive admiration and highlights their very different values from Liu Zheng’s.
• Calico Cat remains affectionate, playful, and eager for adventure. Their willingness to give up a reward simply to leave the Restaurant shows their lack of interest in status or material advancement.
• White-Feather Chicken acts as a practical authority figure, allowing Calico Cat to leave only under strict conditions and maintaining control over the Kitchen’s personnel.
• Salmon is portrayed as a potential recruit whose loyalty and relationship with White-Feather Chicken make poaching them complicated.

Significant Themes

• Trust and reciprocity: The Fool and Liu Zheng establish a relationship based on favors, goodwill, and the principle of “repaying virtue with virtue and grievances with justice.”
• Power and negotiation: Liu Zheng navigates powerful figures through diplomacy rather than force, while Cow-Horse thinks in terms of organizational control and alliances.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: Liu Zheng wants to advance his position but refuses to sacrifice Calico Cat’s welfare for institutional gain.
• Idolization and personal values: Tentacle Monster’s extreme excitement contrasts with Liu Zheng’s cautious pragmatism, emphasizing the gap between the residents of Metropolis and Liu Zheng’s worldview.
• Mystery and inheritance: The indestructible walnut, possibly connected to Champion Cow-Horse’s death or final message, introduces an unresolved mystery concerning family legacy.
• Absurdity and dark comedy: The chapter repeatedly mixes dangerous supernatural circumstances with mundane workplace concerns, such as fish shortages, hemorrhoid surgery, employee benefits, and a walnut defeating a horn.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Fool: Their conversation is courteous but layered with mutual testing, subtle threats, and growing cooperation. The Fool’s invitation strengthens their relationship.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse: They bicker like coworkers while relying on each other. Liu Zheng restrains Cow-Horse’s destructive impulses and challenges their recruitment plan.
• Liu Zheng and Calico Cat: Liu Zheng treats Calico Cat protectively and enjoys their company, arranging food and gifts so they can join the outing.
• Liu Zheng and White-Feather Chicken: Their exchange reflects the Restaurant’s strict hierarchy and rules, with Liu Zheng respectfully negotiating permission for Calico Cat’s trip.
• Liu Zheng and Tentacle Monster: Liu Zheng acts as a mediator and calming influence, while Tentacle Monster’s frantic idol worship repeatedly leaves him baffled.
• Cow-Horse and Calico Cat: Cow-Horse views Calico Cat primarily as a valuable strategic ally, whereas Liu Zheng worries about the ethical consequences of recruiting them.

Chapter Summary: “Would the Fool Really Be Peacock’s Shill?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng receives his employee meal: a Hypercompressed Biscuit that restores stamina but instantly fills the eater for three hours. He refuses to eat it because he plans to dine at someone else’s home, and even Ghost Hand rejects the biscuit.
• The Fool contacts Liu Zheng and orders a delivery to No. 188, Imperial View Estate, where Peacock resides. The address alarms both Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse because their previous encounter with Peacock was extremely dangerous.
• Cow-Horse suspects that the Fool may be secretly working for Peacock, or at least arranging the delivery as part of an exchange of benefits. Liu Zheng is uncertain but decides to proceed, partly to test whether City Hall’s promise that Peacock will not harm him can be trusted.
• Cow-Horse gives Liu Zheng the Outstanding Employee Memorial Medal for protection and suggests taking Calico Cat along to help draw Peacock’s attention. Cow-Horse privately considers calling someone for help but ultimately does not.
• Liu Zheng receives the valuable delivery meal, a Fishman Medley, housed in an elaborate mother-of-pearl container. The meal grants temporary increases to Strength, Constitution, Perception, and Spirit through the “Vigorous” and “Inspiration Overflow” statuses.
• Liu Zheng meets Calico Cat, who is wearing a dinosaur hoodie. After learning that the delivery may involve Peacock, Pond Master initially forbids Calico Cat from going, believing Liu Zheng is dragging Salmon into danger.
• Calico Cat insists on accompanying Liu Zheng because it wants to be his friend and trusts him. Pond Master gives in after Calico Cat begins crying, and Liu Zheng reassures Salmon that he does not want to endanger him.
• The chapter ends with Calico Cat confidently reminding Liu Zheng that Napoleon had already promised he could accompany Liu Zheng on future journeys abroad.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng continues to display courage and calculated recklessness. Although he recognizes the danger of entering Peacock’s territory, he chooses to go in order to test City Hall’s guarantee and investigate the Fool’s intentions.
• He also shows genuine concern for Calico Cat, explicitly stating that he does not want to use or sacrifice his friend. His relationship with Salmon is presented as unusually sincere and emotionally important.
• Cow-Horse remains sarcastic and greedy but demonstrates real concern for Liu Zheng. It provides the protective medal and considers seeking outside assistance, revealing that its hostility masks loyalty.
• The Fool becomes more suspicious. His request places Liu Zheng directly in Peacock’s sphere of influence, raising the possibility that he is manipulating Liu Zheng or cooperating with Peacock.
• Calico Cat/Salmon shows increasing independence. Rather than merely following Pond Master’s orders, Salmon chooses to accompany Liu Zheng out of friendship.
• Pond Master is fiercely protective and distrustful of Liu Zheng’s motives, but his affection for Salmon makes him quickly relent. His possessiveness contrasts with Salmon’s desire to form friendships beyond their master-servant bond.

Significant Themes

• Trust versus suspicion: Liu Zheng must decide whether to trust the Fool, City Hall’s guarantee, Cow-Horse’s judgment, and his own instincts.
• Friendship and loyalty: Salmon’s decision to accompany Liu Zheng emphasizes that genuine friendship can motivate characters to face danger willingly.
• Protection versus autonomy: Pond Master wants to keep Salmon safe, while Salmon asserts his right to choose his own companions and actions.
• Courage and calculated risk: Liu Zheng is not blindly confident that he can defeat Peacock; instead, he relies on escape options, protective items, and allies.
• Comedy amid danger: The employee meals, Cow-Horse’s abuse, the rejected biscuit, and the dinosaur outfit provide humor that contrasts with the serious threat posed by Peacock.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse: Their relationship is built on constant insults and physical comedy, but Cow-Horse still helps Liu Zheng by giving him the memorial medal and advising him to bring support.
• Liu Zheng and Ghost Hand: Liu Zheng feeds Ghost Hand dried fish, while Ghost Hand humorously rejects the biscuit and retaliates against Cow-Horse.
• Liu Zheng and Calico Cat: Liu Zheng enthusiastically praises Salmon’s outfit and treats him with affectionate protectiveness. Their bond is portrayed as a sincere friendship rather than a transactional alliance.
• Liu Zheng and Pond Master: Pond Master accuses Liu Zheng of using Salmon as a shield and threatens him, while Liu Zheng insists that he does not want to sacrifice his friend.
• Pond Master and Salmon: Pond Master initially attempts to control Salmon’s decision, but Salmon’s emotional appeal persuades him to allow the journey.
• Liu Zheng and the Fool: Their brief phone call initiates the dangerous delivery and creates the chapter’s central mystery: whether the Fool is acting independently or serving Peacock’s interests.

Chapter Summary: “System, You Set Me Up!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng reassures the Calico Cat that he will protect it, leading to humorous discussion about friendship, loyalty, and the cat’s German Shepherd mother.
• Pond Master gives Liu Zheng a palm-sized turtle shell as an emergency escape tool. By reciting the activation chant—“When shall I shed my shell and gain a human form?”—Liu can transform into a stone turtle and survive potentially fatal attacks.
• The turtle shell has a major drawback: Liu will be immobile until he absorbs enough sun and moon essence, and the shell can only be removed by cultivating into human form or being killed with it.
• Liu accepts the shell, realizing that the Millennium Turtle Spirit’s immense lifespan may help fulfill his wish, though he suspects the system has manipulated him into this situation.
• He leaves his bucket of fish in the Delivery Passage for safekeeping rather than paying another storage fee.
• Liu summons the driver and prepares to travel to Imperial View Estate. The driver reveals that Hound’s cannon has been replaced by his own body, allowing him to fire himself as a powerful living projectile.
• Liu, the Calico Cat, and the driver head directly to Imperial View Estate to deliver food and attend Fool’s invitation, despite suspecting that Peacock may have arranged a trap.
• At the estate’s bridgehead, they meet the Tentacle Monster. Liu warns them that Peacock may be hostile. The Tentacle Monster agrees to continue, demanding compensation afterward for the injuries and lost tentacles they suffered.
• Imperial View Estate’s heavily armed guards stop the group. Liu identifies himself through his various connections, including his City Hall affiliation and Writers Association badge.
• The guards verify his invitation and allow them to pass. Liu remains suspicious, reasoning that the guards’ easy cooperation may indicate Peacock is deliberately luring them inside.
• Liu orders the driver to accelerate across the bridge. At the far end, an elderly guard requires them to register their race. Liu claims he does not know what to write and discreetly offers the guard a stack of money, ending the chapter on another attempt to manipulate the checkpoint.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng continues to display caution, adaptability, and dark humor. He accepts dangerous protective measures when necessary but carefully examines their hidden costs.
• He becomes increasingly suspicious of the system and its apparent method of fulfilling his wish through the Millennium Turtle Spirit’s lifespan.
• Liu also shows strategic awareness by maintaining multiple identities and exploiting his connections to City Hall and other organizations.
• The Calico Cat is portrayed as loyal and affectionate toward Liu, while its strange upbringing and unconventional ideas about friendship provide comic relief.
• Pond Master demonstrates reluctant concern for Liu by giving him a rare defensive treasure, though he disguises his concern with threats and sarcasm.
• The driver appears increasingly reckless and confident, treating his ability to launch himself from Hound as a devastating weapon. His loyalty is partly motivated by the rewards and status he may gain from embarrassing Peacock.
• The Tentacle Monster shifts from anger and fear to determined cooperation. Despite feeling betrayed by Liu’s late warning, they still insist on meeting Fool and securing compensation.
• Liu’s relationship with Peacock becomes more openly adversarial, even though the two do not meet directly in the chapter.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and friendship: The Calico Cat’s crude but sincere definition of friendship contrasts with Liu’s guarded, practical behavior.
• Survival versus cost: Every escape option comes with a severe drawback, emphasizing that survival in the Hell Game requires accepting dangerous compromises.
• Manipulation and hidden intentions: Liu repeatedly questions whether invitations, permissions, and system rewards are genuine or part of a larger trap.
• Identity and social status: Liu uses his various affiliations and public identities to gain access and protection, showing how reputation can be as useful as strength.
• Risk and calculated deception: Rather than retreating from danger, Liu decides to continue forward once committed, relying on preparation, improvisation, and bribery.
• Power and political balance: Liu recognizes that killing Peacock could disrupt his usefulness to Metropolis’s powerful factions, revealing his awareness of the broader political consequences of his actions.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu and the Calico Cat exchange affectionate insults while establishing their mutual loyalty.
• Pond Master and Liu argue over the turtle shell’s drawbacks, with Pond Master insisting that an imperfect survival tool is better than death.
• Liu and the driver discuss the possibility of killing Peacock, though both acknowledge that doing so could have dangerous political consequences.
• Liu and the Tentacle Monster negotiate after Liu reveals the potential trap at Imperial View Estate; the Monster agrees to proceed in exchange for future compensation.
• Liu uses polite negotiation, official credentials, and bribery to overcome the estate’s security guards.
• The chapter ends with Liu attempting to manipulate the elderly guard at the registration checkpoint, suggesting that the estate’s true dangers may lie beyond the entrance.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• At Imperial View Estate’s entrance, Liu Zheng and his companions are required to register. The corrupt security guard hints that he has been ordered not to reveal information about them, suggesting that someone is deliberately obstructing their investigation.
• Liu Zheng decides not to drive the tank into the estate. He leaves the driver outside with instructions to keep the engine running and fire if necessary.
• Inside, the estate is revealed to be a vast wilderness rather than a conventional residential complex. Liu Zheng, the Tentacle Monster, and Calico Cat follow directions from Fool through a gray spiritual mist toward Original Fortress.
• The Tentacle Monster jokes about obtaining Fool’s cat litter and offers Liu Zheng a bizarre “Tentacle Fortification Liquid,” which causes tentacles to vibrate rapidly and conduct electricity. Liu Zheng rejects the proposal and mocks the monster’s eccentricity.
• Fool guides them upward on a Light Ladder to Original Fortress, whose striking bronze gate is made from countless patterned Bronze Worms.
• At the fortress, Fool appears in the form of a formally dressed Black Cat and welcomes the group. Liu Zheng introduces Calico Cat and the Tentacle Monster.
• Fool shows particular interest in the dried Sewer Fish Liu Zheng carries, recognizing them as high-quality produce associated with Fisherman.
• Fool then praises the Tentacle Monster’s writing. Overwhelmed, the Tentacle Monster vows to increase his daily output, while Fool pragmatically advises him to write only four thousand words per day.

Character developments

• Liu Zheng remains cautious and observant. He suppresses his anger toward the corrupt guard and analyzes the hidden meaning behind the guard’s warning instead of acting impulsively.
• He also demonstrates leadership by coordinating the driver and protecting the group while maintaining a dry, sarcastic sense of humor.
• The Tentacle Monster is revealed as both eccentric and deeply devoted to Fool. His admiration quickly turns into nervous fanboy behavior, but Fool’s encouragement gives him renewed confidence as a writer.
• Calico Cat/Salmon displays a playful yet obedient personality. She wants to chase insects but follows Liu Zheng’s instructions and interacts enthusiastically with Fool.
• Fool/Black Cat appears courteous, theatrical, and socially perceptive. He balances a refined persona with warmth and offers sincere encouragement to the Tentacle Monster.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and hidden power: The security guard’s warning implies that larger forces are controlling what Liu Zheng can learn.
• Class and privilege: The estate’s extravagant wilderness and the guard’s casual bribery emphasize the strange customs and advantages of the wealthy and powerful.
• Fame and artistic identity: The Tentacle Monster’s interaction with Fool explores the emotional impact of meeting an admired creator and the importance of recognition.
• Comedic absurdity within danger: Strange biological abilities, cat litter schemes, luxury wilderness, and an insect-built gate create humor amid the chapter’s ominous setting.
• Hospitality and social connections: Liu Zheng uses his relationships and reputation—particularly his association with Fisherman—to make a favorable impression on Fool.

Character interactions

• Liu Zheng and the security guard exchange polite but tense remarks, with the guard accepting a bribe while indirectly warning Liu Zheng.
• Liu Zheng and the driver establish a cooperative command relationship, mixing tactical preparation with friendly banter.
• Liu Zheng and the Tentacle Monster repeatedly trade sarcastic jokes, revealing familiarity and contrasting personalities.
• Liu Zheng treats Calico Cat affectionately, calming her and rewarding her with dried fish.
• Fool and Calico Cat exchange courteous compliments, while Liu Zheng guides her through the social encounter.
• Fool’s respectful discussion of the Tentacle Monster’s writing transforms the monster from an embarrassing admirer into a motivated and grateful creator.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng and his companions—Calico Cat, Tentacle Monster, Hishikibe, and Novelist—visit Black Cat/Fool at its residence after Liu Zheng’s release from the Black Room.
• Before entering, Liu Zheng warns Black Cat about its past conflict with Peacock of Imperial View Estate. Black Cat dismisses the danger, trusting City Hall’s protection and implying that powerful figures would intervene if Peacock retaliated.
• Inside, Novelist eagerly greets Liu Zheng and reveals that she used Black Cat’s bathroom while staying there. Hishikibe immediately resumes her hostile banter with Liu Zheng.
• Black Cat arranges a formal afternoon tea, magically producing chairs, food, utensils, and tea. It assigns everyone seats and temporarily leaves to retrieve the tea.
• During Black Cat’s absence, Liu Zheng explains that he helped Novelist because Black Cat told him she had been imprisoned in the Black Room. Their conversation turns flirtatious, prompting Hishikibe to accuse him of leading Novelist on.
• Liu Zheng and Hishikibe escalate into a vicious verbal confrontation, nearly coming to blows. Novelist angrily intervenes and forces both of them to apologize.
• Tentacle Monster humorously interprets their hostility as evidence of a romantic rivalry between Liu Zheng and Hishikibe over Novelist, recording the incident as potential material for her writing.
• Black Cat returns and gives a speech encouraging the young writers, declaring that the Writers Association belongs to them and that its future depends on their energy and creativity.
• The tea party’s theme is announced as “freedom and friendship,” with guests encouraged to ignore rigid etiquette and social status—though fighting remains forbidden.
• Liu Zheng shares dried fish prepared by Salmon, the assistant head chef. Everyone praises the food, and Calico Cat happily accepts the thanks.
• Black Cat becomes intrigued when it learns that Salmon’s adoptive mother is a German Shepherd, suggesting that Calico Cat’s unusual nature may conceal something significant. Liu Zheng immediately senses danger or an unexpected development.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Demonstrates loyalty by rescuing Novelist, while continuing to use provocative flirting and insults to conceal or avoid directly acknowledging his feelings. He remains wary and perceptive, especially when Black Cat reacts unusually to Calico Cat.
• Novelist: Shows strong affection and gratitude toward Liu Zheng, becoming emotionally vulnerable when he implies that his help was motivated only by obligation. She also acts as the mediator between Liu Zheng and Hishikibe, revealing a responsible and assertive side.
• Hishikibe: Maintains her sharp temper and antagonism toward Liu Zheng, but her concern for Novelist is obvious. Her opposition to Liu Zheng may reflect jealousy or protectiveness, though both she and Liu Zheng reject Tentacle Monster’s romantic interpretation.
• Black Cat/Fool: Acts as a gracious host and powerful mediator. It enjoys the group’s genuine, unrestrained interactions, contrasting them with the false politeness of people who fear or admire it. Its speech reveals a more experienced, possibly weary side beneath its cheerful public persona.
• Tentacle Monster: Treats the conflict as entertaining romantic drama and eagerly records it for future writing. Her exaggerated theories provide comic relief but also highlight the emotional tension among the group.
• Calico Cat: Remains innocent, affectionate, and curious. Her unusual background and nature attract Black Cat’s attention.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus social constraints: The tea party rejects rigid etiquette and status distinctions, while Hishikibe’s arranged-marriage dilemma shows how wealthy families restrict individual choice.
• Youth and the future of literature: Black Cat presents the younger writers as the Writers Association’s hope, comparing their vitality to the morning sun.
• Friendship and emotional ambiguity: Liu Zheng’s relationship with Novelist combines genuine loyalty, attraction, teasing, and avoidance. Hishikibe’s hostility further complicates the group’s emotional dynamics.
• Authenticity versus social performance: Black Cat values the group’s open arguments because they are sincere, unlike the restrained behavior of people who interact with it out of fear or reverence.
• Hidden identities and danger: Black Cat’s interest in Calico Cat’s unusual lineage hints that her origins or abilities may become important later.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Black Cat: Exchange polite but cautious remarks about Peacock, establishing mutual trust and respect.
• Liu Zheng and Novelist: Share a warm, flirtatious reunion; Novelist clearly desires greater emotional commitment, while Liu Zheng hides behind humor.
• Liu Zheng and Hishikibe: Trade escalating insults and threats, revealing deep mutual irritation and possibly concealed jealousy.
• Novelist and Hishikibe: Their friendship is genuine, but Novelist is frustrated by Hishikibe’s constant attacks on Liu Zheng.
• Tentacle Monster and Calico Cat: Tentacle Monster explains her absurd “romantic rivals” theory, which Calico Cat accepts admiringly despite not understanding it.
• Black Cat and the group: Black Cat manages their quarrels, provides hospitality, and encourages them as the next generation of writers.
• Liu Zheng and Calico Cat: Liu Zheng explains Calico Cat’s unusual upbringing and shares food with everyone on her behalf, reinforcing his protective role.

Chapter Summary: “Peacock Battles the Red-Haired Monster”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng attends afternoon tea with the Fool, the Black Cat, the Novelist, Hishikibe, and the Calico Cat. He becomes uncomfortable when another cat shows interest in Salmon, so he jokingly insults Salmon’s cleanliness to discourage the match.
• The guests discuss literature and gossip. Liu Zheng admits he knows little about their literary world, but the others adjust the conversation so he can participate. Hishikibe continues mocking him, while the Novelist and Liu Zheng grow more openly affectionate.
• When it is time to leave, Liu Zheng gives the Black Cat a rare Yarn Ball and delivers a meal. The Black Cat gives Salmon a Platinum Quill, allowing her to enter fictional worlds, and warns her not to overuse it.
• The Black Cat sends Liu Zheng and Salmon to the entrance of Imperial View Estate. Before they can leave, Peacock attacks, attempting to pull Liu Zheng toward the estate with her five-colored light.
• Liu Zheng suspects Peacock intends to kill him once he enters the estate. He prepares to rely on the turtle shell, but Salmon is suddenly disturbed by something inside her hat.
• A withered, red-haired giant hand emerges from the hat. Peacock recognizes the intruder and attacks it. Her five-colored light crushes the area, while Salmon enlarges herself and shields Liu Zheng with her body.
• The red-haired entity retaliates, transforming the sky into a terrifying Blood Moon scene. Peacock identifies it as a powerful enemy and reveals her true divine-peacock form.
• Peacock sweeps her five tail feathers three times, dispelling the clouds, restoring the sun, and erasing the red-haired hand and surrounding area. She then leaves, sending Liu Zheng and Salmon safely far from the estate.
• Liu Zheng finds that the hat has been destroyed and speculates that the red-haired being may be the aging, cursed president of the Writers Association. He worries about the political consequences for the Fool and wonders whether the Nine-Dragon Coffin is connected to the president’s condition.
• His driver calls and locates him in the Old District, joking that surviving Peacock would mean little if Liu Zheng were later killed by street thugs.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Zheng demonstrates quick thinking and social adaptability, using humor and a fabricated complaint about Salmon to handle the awkward romantic situation. He remains honest about his ignorance while becoming more accepted by the group.
• Liu Zheng and the Novelist show increasing familiarity and affection. He pets her head, reassures her that he will survive, and jokingly promises not to die before seeing her become the Narrator.
• Liu Zheng and Salmon display strong mutual trust. Salmon immediately protects him from Peacock’s attack, while Liu Zheng encourages and praises her despite her suffering under the pressure.
• The Black Cat acts as a gracious host and powerful benefactor. It gives Salmon the Platinum Quill and carefully explains its dangers, showing concern for her well-being.
• Peacock is initially hostile and tries to seize Liu Zheng, but the arrival of the red-haired entity forces her to protect him indirectly. She treats the battle as a legitimate opportunity to attack her enemy.
• The Red-Haired Giant Hand is mysterious, intrusive, and apparently connected to a powerful cursed figure. Its destruction of the hat and manipulation of the sky reveal immense supernatural strength.
• Hishikibe remains sarcastic and antagonistic, but her hostility contrasts with the warmer bonds Liu Zheng forms with the others.

Significant Themes

• Survival amid supernatural power struggles: Liu Zheng is repeatedly caught between beings far stronger than himself and must survive through caution, alliances, and luck.
• Trust and protection: Salmon’s instinctive defense of Liu Zheng reinforces their loyalty, while Liu Zheng’s praise and concern strengthen their bond.
• Humor as a coping mechanism: Liu Zheng uses sarcasm, flirtation, and absurd observations to manage danger and social tension.
• Political and supernatural intrigue: The possible identity of the red-haired monster suggests a major conflict within the Writers Association, with the Fool’s position potentially at risk.
• The vulnerability of ordinary individuals: Although Liu Zheng is surrounded by immortal-level entities, he remains a relatively powerless “player,” emphasizing the absurd danger of his circumstances.
• Hidden identities and cursed power: The red-haired hand, the cursed president, Peacock’s divine form, and the Nine-Dragon Coffin all deepen the chapter’s mystery surrounding aging, corruption, and suppression of supernatural misfortune.

Chapter Summary: “Nothing Good, I Can't See Anything”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After surviving the confrontation between the Writers Association president and Peacock, Liu Zheng finds himself in an unfamiliar part of Metropolis. His Legendary Disguise has failed, and his strength has fallen to its lowest level, leaving him dependent on the injured Calico Cat for protection.
• Liu Zheng and the Calico Cat are surrounded by female humanoid creatures from a street they call the Pink Kingdom. Their leader, the Queen, interrogates him about his identity, arrival, and connection to the battle he witnessed.
• Liu Zheng explains that he is a Deliveryman who was caught in the aftermath of the fight between Peacock and the Writers Association president. He also reveals that his tank is on its way to retrieve him, alarming the Queen because she assumes it could be used to invade Pink Kingdom.
• The Queen refuses to let him wait inside, leave freely, or allow the tank to enter. Liu Zheng becomes frustrated and openly challenges the women to fight, though he continues trying to avoid unnecessary conflict.
• The conversation shifts when the Queen asks about Jennifer, an elevator operator Liu Zheng had previously helped. He explains that Jennifer was fired for assisting him and that he has been searching for her out of concern.
• The Queen discovers that a newcomer in Pink Kingdom matches Liu Zheng’s description. Jennifer is brought forward and confirms that Liu Zheng helped free women from an office building and arranged medical treatment for her.
• Although the Queen remains suspicious and claims Liu Zheng may have acted selfishly, Jennifer’s testimony convinces her to let him leave. She still threatens to kill Jennifer if Liu Zheng leaks any information.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Despite being weakened and surrounded, Liu Zheng remains calm, sarcastic, and defiant. He tries to negotiate logically but becomes openly confrontational when the Queen rejects every proposed solution. His concern for Jennifer demonstrates loyalty and compassion, while his willingness to defend himself shows that his pacifism has limits.
• Calico Cat/Salmon: The cat is visibly injured but remains powerful enough to deter the Pink Kingdom women from attacking. It proudly claims responsibility for protecting Liu Zheng, strengthening their close partnership.
• The Queen: Initially suspicious and hostile, the Queen gradually becomes more willing to negotiate once she understands Liu Zheng’s situation. However, she remains deeply distrustful of men and continues to use threats to maintain control.
• Jennifer: Jennifer has found refuge in Pink Kingdom after changing or correcting her name. She is initially nervous that Liu Zheng may be searching for her to silence her, but ultimately vouches for him and confirms his good intentions.
• The Pink Kingdom women: They are shown as a tight-knit, teasing community. Their joking arguments reveal familiarity and camaraderie, while their obedience to the Queen shows her authority over them.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: The chapter centers on the difficulty of establishing trust between strangers. Liu Zheng’s explanations are repeatedly questioned, and Jennifer’s testimony becomes the decisive proof of his character.
• Protection and loyalty: The Calico Cat protects Liu Zheng despite its injuries, while Liu Zheng searches for Jennifer even after their previous encounter has ended.
• Power and vulnerability: Liu Zheng’s weakened state forces him to rely on allies and negotiation rather than overwhelming strength. The Queen also protects her territory because Pink Kingdom cannot afford losses amid threats from rival gangs.
• Miscommunication and prejudice: The Queen assumes Liu Zheng is dangerous because he is a man, arrives unexpectedly, and possesses a powerful weapon. Liu Zheng, in turn, criticizes the women’s threatening and insular worldview.
• Community and refuge: Pink Kingdom functions as a protective society for women who may have been exploited or endangered elsewhere. Its members’ jokes, mutual knowledge, and defense of one another reveal a strong communal bond.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Calico Cat share affectionate, trusting interactions, with Liu Zheng caring for the injured cat and the cat proudly promising to protect him.
• Liu Zheng and the Queen engage in a tense interrogation marked by sarcasm, threats, and failed negotiations. Neither fully trusts the other, though both avoid immediate violence.
• The Queen’s subordinates frequently interrupt with jokes and embarrassing stories, revealing their familiarity while also demonstrating the Queen’s authority when she silences them.
• Liu Zheng’s questions about Jennifer shift the Queen’s attitude and lead to Jennifer’s arrival.
• Jennifer openly supports Liu Zheng, contradicting the Queen’s suspicion and confirming that he helped free and assist the women in the office building.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng angrily rejecting the Queen’s threat, emphasizing his unwillingness to accept blame for information he could not possibly have leaked.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng questions the Queen and Jennifer about the Pink Kingdom, its defenses, and its history while preparing to leave through the eastern entrance.
• He learns that the Pink Kingdom was formerly Red-Light Street, controlled by the Pink Gang. The Queen infiltrated the gang, overthrew its leader, took control, renamed the area, and negotiated agreements with neighboring gangs.
• The Queen expelled the male prostitutes, claiming men could not be trusted, while Jennifer reveals that the Queen still protects orphaned boys and allows underage male prostitutes to remain until adulthood.
• Liu Zheng criticizes the Queen for benefiting from the revolution while disregarding the male prostitutes who helped her seize power. His blunt comments provoke several heated exchanges, though he gains a slightly better opinion of her after learning about her protective actions.
• Liu offers Jennifer several possible futures: work at a clinic or bathhouse in the city, or leave the city for another bathhouse. Jennifer chooses to remain in the Pink Kingdom and exchanges contact information with him.
• Liu gives Jennifer 10,000 in cash and warns the Queen to protect both Jennifer and the money. The Queen agrees, claiming she would be even angrier than Liu if anything happened.
• Before leaving, Liu asks Jennifer to investigate whether the legendary deliveryman named Li had previously visited Red-Light Street. He is searching for items Li left behind and offers to purchase them or accept commissions in return.
• The leopard-print woman transforms into a cheetah and searches the area. While waiting, Liu’s driver, the Colonel, arrives in the armored vehicle known as the Hound.
• The Colonel detects a rooftop figure wielding an extremely fast blade—apparently Zhizi, the Pink Kingdom’s powerful protector—and remarks that her weapon could scratch the Hound’s armor. He also states that even a legendary weapon would not let her defeat him because he would destroy her first.
• The cheetah woman returns with a pack of cigarettes recovered from the Pink Kingdom. Liu identifies them as Legendary Deliveryman’s Ration Cigarettes, a valuable item left behind by Li.
• The cigarettes allow the user to temporarily count as being in the middle of a delivery for up to three minutes, restoring the advantages and protection associated with Liu’s deliveryman status. Liu sees them as ten opportunities to reverse dangerous situations and immediately decides to buy them.

Character Development

• Liu Zheng remains sarcastic, confrontational, and pragmatic, but also shows a strong sense of responsibility. He helps Jennifer secure money and potential employment, while recognizing that he cannot solve the wider social problems of the Metropolis.
• His view of the Queen becomes slightly less hostile. Although he still sees her as authoritarian and hypocritical, he acknowledges that she has protected vulnerable children and helped the women of the Pink Kingdom survive.
• The Queen is shown as defensive, suspicious, and fiercely protective of her domain. Her extreme distrust of men stems from personal or collective trauma, but she also demonstrates genuine concern for the people under her rule.
• Jennifer gains more independence by choosing to remain in the Pink Kingdom rather than follow Liu. She accepts his financial help but continues making her own decisions about her future.
• The Colonel is established as calm, confident, and highly dangerous. His unemotional assessment of Zhizi’s blade and the Hound’s overwhelming firepower emphasizes his combat superiority.
• Zhizi, though absent, is characterized as a powerful, unstable figure whose strength is central to the Pink Kingdom’s survival and whose loyalty belongs solely to the Queen.

Significant Themes

• Power and revolution: The Queen’s rise demonstrates how oppressed groups can organize and seize control, but Liu emphasizes the moral compromises and betrayals that often follow revolutions.
• Protection versus exploitation: The Pink Kingdom offers safety to some vulnerable people while remaining connected to the exploitative flesh trade, creating a morally ambiguous refuge.
• Personal responsibility and systemic injustice: Liu recognizes that he can save individuals or punish immediate wrongdoers, but cannot repair the larger systems that create poverty and prostitution.
• Trust and suspicion: The Queen’s vigilance reflects the constant threat faced by the Pink Kingdom, while Liu’s blunt skepticism challenges her assumptions and defenses.
• Identity and power: The discussion of species, genetics, disguises, and supernatural abilities reinforces the strange social divisions of the Metropolis.
• Resourcefulness and survival: Liu’s discovery of the cigarettes shows how seemingly minor remnants of the Legendary Deliveryman can become powerful tools in dangerous situations.

Character Interactions

• Liu and the Queen constantly trade insults, with Jennifer and the other women occasionally mediating their arguments.
• Liu questions the Queen’s political history and moral choices, forcing her to defend both her leadership and her treatment of former male workers.
• Liu and Jennifer share a more cooperative relationship. He offers practical help, money, and future employment while respecting her decision to stay.
• Liu attempts to establish a business arrangement with the Queen by offering payment for information or items connected to the Legendary Deliveryman.
• Liu and the Colonel exchange humorous admiration over the Colonel’s strength, while the Queen silently regards their masculine boasting with contempt.
• The chapter ends with Liu focused on obtaining the ration cigarettes, recognizing their strategic value and preparing to negotiate with the Queen.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The Queen of Pink Kingdom asks Liu Zheng to help eliminate White Bastard, a sadistic abuser who has terrorized the women of Red-Light Street under the protection of his powerful father and wealthy mother.
• Liu Zheng agrees to obtain complete information on White Bastard and his parents, asking the Queen to provide the files when he next delivers food.
• A dispute arises when the Queen demands the return of a cigarette Liu Zheng has taken. The women prepare to fight, but Liu Zheng defuses the situation by proposing a trade.
• Liu Zheng offers to help Pink Kingdom’s residents receive medical examinations and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. Because they cannot safely travel through the city, he devises a plan involving the Sewer and Fisherman to escort them to the Nile Doctor’s clinic.
• The Queen accepts the arrangement after learning that several of her sisters are seriously ill. In exchange, she gives Liu Zheng a unique item: the Legendary Deliveryman’s After-Sex Cigarette, which temporarily increases Spirit by 500 points.
• Liu Zheng also receives four gold bars as payment. He learns that the Queen’s mother was once a regular customer of the Legendary Deliveryman, but confirms that the Queen is not his daughter.
• Liu Zheng returns to the Restaurant and contacts the Nile Doctor, Niu Daji, and the Ultimate Flavor Group. All agree to help treat and protect Pink Kingdom’s women, though Guokou Tangzi hesitates because of district boundaries before ultimately accepting.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates compassion, resourcefulness, and a strong sense of personal responsibility. Although he refuses to bankrupt himself helping Pink Kingdom, he offers practical assistance and uses his connections to create a workable medical and security plan.
• His attachment to the Legendary Deliveryman’s legacy becomes clearer. Liu Zheng feels obligated to repay kindness even when the benefactor is dead and has made no demands, leading him to seek out and preserve the Deliveryman’s remaining possessions.
• The Queen is shown as fiercely protective, distrustful of men, and willing to fight for her community. Despite her hostility toward Liu Zheng, she recognizes when his offer could save her people and makes a difficult decision to trust him.
• Jennifer acts as a mediator, defending Liu Zheng’s character and later recounting her first meeting with him to the Queen.
• The pajama-clad woman serves as the Queen’s adviser, helping assess Liu Zheng’s proposals and reminding the Queen of the urgency of treating their sick companions.
• Nile Doctor, Niu Daji, and the Ultimate Flavor Group show increasing loyalty to Liu Zheng. Their willingness to help reflects his growing influence and the favors he has earned.
• The Calico Cat remains loyal but independent, choosing to return to the Kitchen Passage for treatment rather than accompany Liu Zheng to the clinic.

3. Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: The Queen’s distrust reflects the exploitation Pink Kingdom has suffered, while Liu Zheng must gradually prove that his assistance is genuine.
• Reciprocity and moral debt: Liu Zheng repeatedly weighs the cost of helping others, yet feels compelled to repay unrequested kindness—especially the Legendary Deliveryman’s.
• Protection of the vulnerable: The chapter contrasts White Bastard’s abuse with Liu Zheng’s efforts to provide medical care, safety, and dignity to Pink Kingdom’s residents.
• Power and social injustice: White Bastard’s immunity comes not from personal strength but from his parents’ influence, highlighting how wealth and authority protect criminals in the Old District.
• Pragmatic compassion: Liu Zheng is generous but not self-sacrificing without limits. He establishes financial boundaries while still offering meaningful help.
• Community and alliances: Pink Kingdom’s survival depends on cooperation among its leaders, while Liu Zheng’s expanding network allows him to connect isolated groups and arrange protection.

4. Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Queen begin with a tense negotiation over White Bastard and the stolen cigarette, nearly escalating into violence.
• Jennifer supports Liu Zheng, but the Queen rebukes her for trusting a man too easily, revealing the Queen’s bitterness and protective instincts.
• Liu Zheng uses humor and practical proposals to ease tension, eventually replacing the cigarette dispute with a mutually beneficial medical arrangement.
• The Queen and her adviser consult privately before accepting Liu Zheng’s offer, emphasizing the importance of collective responsibility for Pink Kingdom.
• Liu Zheng’s later calls to the Nile Doctor, Niu Daji, and Guokou Tangzi show how his relationships extend beyond the immediate conflict and enable him to protect others.
• After Liu Zheng leaves, the Queen questions Jennifer about him, indicating that her distrust has shifted into cautious interest and curiosity.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng returns safely after confronting Peacock, revealing that the Writers Association’s president intervened on his behalf. He also obtained two valuable items, though no explicit “trump card.”
• Cow-Horse teases Liu Zheng about his ability to build connections with powerful figures. Liu Zheng gives him a Fishman Hodgepodge as compensation for missing the staff meal, then goes to meet Si Xue.
• Before seeing Si Xue, Liu Zheng confronts the Bloodstained Elevator. He blames it for seriously injuring the cleaner who had maintained it and accuses it of disrespecting both him and his people.
• The elevator admits fault indirectly and damages its own walls three times as a form of submission and apology. Liu Zheng accepts it back as a “good friend,” though privately decides to avoid using the elevator key unless necessary.
• Si Xue summons Liu Zheng and questions him about his contact with the Writers Association’s president. Liu Zheng explains that he visited Fool, the Association’s prospective vice president, and learned that the president is a Narrator suffering from an ominous, deteriorating condition.
• Si Xue explains that the Narrators are essential to Metropolis and worries that even the older Narrators may be in similarly bad condition. Liu Zheng suggests the Writers Association may be concealing the crisis from City Hall while attempting to solve it themselves, possibly through the Nine-Dragon Coffin.
• Si Xue criticizes Liu Zheng’s recent destructive behavior, noting that City Hall has complained about his “forced deliveries” becoming “forced demolitions.” They discuss whether the Restaurant could force deliveries on City Hall, concluding that it is theoretically possible but politically unwise unless relations completely collapse.
• Si Xue states that the Nine-Dragon Coffin may not be enough to cure the Writers Association’s president, but offers to upgrade it. She then summons four obsidian pillars containing imprisoned Western dragons and decides that five more dragons are needed, calling out to someone above the cavern to borrow them.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates growing influence and social connections by gaining protection from the Writers Association’s president and maintaining relationships with powerful beings. However, he also reveals a stronger sense of loyalty and personal honor, especially regarding the injured cleaner.
• His confrontation with the elevator shows that he is no longer willing to tolerate disrespect or silently endure harm done to those associated with him. Though he eventually repairs the relationship, he makes it clear that trust must be earned.
• Liu Zheng continues to use shameless humor, flattery, and feigned helplessness to navigate dangerous situations, particularly with Si Xue. Beneath the comedy, however, he remains conscious of his dependence on her authority and the limits imposed by his position in the Restaurant.
• Si Xue is shown as both amused by and exasperated with Liu Zheng. She enjoys his inventive flattery but remains firmly in control, reminding him that his freedom depends on her decisions.
• Si Xue also displays strategic awareness, recognizing the political importance of the Narrators and the possible threat posed by the Writers Association’s hidden crisis. Her ability to manipulate the obsidian floor and imprison dragons reinforces her immense power.
• The Elevator develops from an apparently indifferent and potentially hostile object into a submissive ally. Its willingness to damage itself suggests that it values its relationship with Liu Zheng and fears losing his approval.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and respect: Liu Zheng’s anger over the cleaner’s injuries shows that loyalty is not merely sentimental; it demands accountability and protection.
• Power and dependence: Liu Zheng’s position is precarious because his authority ultimately comes from Si Xue and the Bloodstained Restaurant. The chapter emphasizes the vulnerability of power that belongs to someone else.
• Political deterrence: The discussion of forced deliveries and City Hall highlights the difference between possessing power and openly using it. Threats are most useful when they remain threats.
• Hidden crises and institutional secrecy: The Writers Association’s attempt to manage the Narrator’s condition privately suggests that powerful institutions conceal weaknesses to protect their own authority.
• Humor as survival and manipulation: Liu Zheng’s flattery, exaggeration, and absurd behavior help him defuse danger and negotiate with stronger beings, while also masking his genuine anxieties.
• Friendship and reconciliation: Although Liu Zheng threatens the elevator, he ultimately chooses to repair the relationship rather than destroy it, showing that damaged trust can still be restored.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse: Their exchange is teasing and informal. Cow-Horse mocks Liu Zheng’s connections and suspicious generosity, while Liu Zheng compensates him with food.
• Liu Zheng and the Elevator: Their confrontation is tense and morally charged. Liu Zheng demands an explanation for the cleaner’s injuries, forcing the elevator to acknowledge his authority and accept responsibility.
• Liu Zheng and Si Xue: Their relationship combines employer–employee hierarchy, playful banter, flirtatious teasing, and genuine strategic discussion. Si Xue mocks his flattery and misbehavior but also trusts his judgment and gives him important information.
• Si Xue and the Dragons: Si Xue treats the imprisoned dragons with casual dominance, threatening them while considering how to use them in upgrading the Nine-Dragon Coffin.
• Liu Zheng and the Narrators/Writers Association: Although he has not yet become directly involved in their larger crisis, his contact with Fool and the president places him at the center of a potentially major conflict affecting all of Metropolis.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Si Xue persuades Liu Zheng’s mysterious superior to support the Writers Association, arguing that allowing it to collapse would damage every organization in Metropolis, including his own. Her proposal is accepted.
• Liu Zheng accidentally falls into Treasure Lake, where numerous treasure-creatures nearly attack him. Si Xue rescues him and mocks both his poor swimming and his octopus-like appearance.
• Si Xue uses Liu Zheng’s Indestructible Beer Bottle, her own golden blood, a lock of her hair, and his Boning Knife to forge a powerful Damaged Dragon-Fishing Rod.
• With the rod, Si Xue fishes four dragon treasures from the lake:
  • A hornless dragon
  • A clawless dragon
  • A one-horned dragon
  • A coiled dragon
    Each transforms into a jade talisman.
• A fifth dragon is missing because Peacock previously ordered it. Si Xue tells Liu Zheng that he must obtain a dragon egg or young dragon to awaken the final dragon within the Nine-Dragon Coffin.
• Liu Zheng agrees to search for a solution, possibly through the merchant company connected to Niu Daji.
• Si Xue gives Liu Zheng the Dragon-Fishing Rod. Its abilities include dragon suppression, enhanced combat power against dragons, and a guaranteed-hit fishing technique that restrains a target through a Luck contest. However, the rod is permanently damaged after use and cannot be repaired or recreated.
• Si Xue freezes Treasure Lake, escorts Liu Zheng back to her throne, and begins questioning him about his conversation at the Fool’s house.

Character Developments

• Si Xue demonstrates political intelligence, ruthless pragmatism, immense power, and a willingness to invest valuable resources for a major strategic favor. She also shows that she regards Liu Zheng as a useful subordinate rather than an equal.
• Liu Zheng remains cautious and submissive around Si Xue, recognizing the danger of interfering in conflicts between powerful figures. He also displays opportunism, considering whether he could steal a treasure from the lake, and becomes excited by the Dragon-Fishing Rod’s powerful abilities.
• Liu Zheng accepts greater responsibility by agreeing to find the missing dragon, despite understanding that the task will be difficult.
• Peacock is characterized as a troublesome rival who previously took one of the dragons, apparently more to annoy Si Xue than because the dragon-treasures were genuinely useful.
• The Lake God appears obedient but cautious, refusing to criticize Peacock because of the remote possibility that Peacock could someday become the Restaurant’s owner.

Significant Themes

• Political interdependence: Si Xue argues that powerful institutions and landmarks depend on a shared system, so harming one organization can eventually threaten all the others.
• Power and hierarchy: Liu Zheng must carefully navigate relationships between vastly stronger beings, while Si Xue reinforces her authority through intimidation and mockery.
• Resourcefulness and sacrifice: Powerful artifacts are created by combining rare materials and personal resources, including blood, hair, and valuable equipment.
• Opportunity and risk: Liu Zheng gains an exceptionally powerful weapon, but it is damaged, difficult to replace, and tied to future dangers involving dragons and the Nine-Dragon Coffin.
• Favor and leverage: Si Xue’s assistance is motivated by the political favor she will gain from helping the Writers Association, emphasizing how alliances are built through calculated exchanges.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter contrasts terrifying supernatural threats with absurd banter about octopuses, hair-pulling, pornography, and useless human inventions.

Character Interactions

• Si Xue repeatedly bullies and teases Liu Zheng while also protecting and rewarding him, reinforcing their boss-subordinate relationship.
• Liu Zheng tries to flatter and appease Si Xue, especially when she threatens him or mocks his species and equipment.
• Si Xue and the Lake God interact briefly over the missing dragon; the Lake God provides information but avoids taking sides.
• The chapter ends with Si Xue questioning Liu Zheng about the Fool’s house, signaling that his earlier conversation may have political or strategic importance.

Chapter Summary: “The Restaurant Was Handing Out Perks”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng returns to the break room after being delayed by additional delivery assignments. Cow-Horse complains about his lateness and jokes bitterly about Liu Zheng’s tendency to overwork.
• Novelist calls to make sure Liu Zheng is safe after he failed to answer earlier. They discuss her recent escape from the Black Room, her writing, and an expensive Black Swan miniature theater set containing short-lived, specially bred actors.
• Novelist offers to order food and accompany Liu Zheng on a walk, but he refuses out of concern for her health after her recent ordeal. She instead bribes Hishikibe with the miniature theater set to make the delivery order.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse discuss happiness, suffering, death, immortality, and the possibility of becoming a Long-Lived Species. Their gloomy philosophical exchange turns into absurd jokes about Liu Zheng becoming a turtle-like hybrid, causing Cow-Horse to burst into uncontrollable laughter.
• Ghost Hand arrives and appears to request alcohol in exchange for returning the damaged Dragon-Fishing Rod. Liu Zheng agrees, adding another informal debt to his growing list.
• Liu Zheng receives a delivery order for hash browns to Manager Huang at the Jiahe New Residence property management center. He suspects the Restaurant deliberately assigned it as a relatively easy “perk” after his dangerous Nine-Dragon Pulling Coffin job.
• The hash brown restores stamina, though its item description humorously criticizes Liu Zheng by name for provoking the Restaurant.
• Liu Zheng decides to use the delivery trip to pursue several objectives: acquire dragon dung, repair the Dragon-Fishing Rod in the Sewer, and eventually obtain Diyega from a pharmacy. He first travels to Rose Street and enters the Sewer.
• The Fisherman repairs the Dragon-Fishing Rod using an external stabilizing force. The weapon cannot be restored completely, but its crucial Heaven-and-Earth Cast ability is preserved for one use.
• The Fisherman also returns Liu Zheng’s repaired Three-Shaku Mirror. The mirror can summon Sha-chan’s dark side for one minute and allow Liu Zheng to issue one command, but the summoned entity may attack him afterward.
• Liu Zheng is pleased to gain two additional strategic tools, despite the risks attached to both.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng continues to demonstrate responsibility and caution. He prioritizes his obligations to the Restaurant while still trying to advance his own plans and protect his allies.
• He shows concern for Novelist’s health, refusing her offer to accompany him because she has just endured the Black Room and has been ordering food frequently.
• Liu Zheng’s growing inventory of favors and debts becomes more apparent. He is reluctant to exploit loopholes or abandon informal obligations, revealing a strong sense of honor despite his cynical attitude.
• Cow-Horse remains sarcastic, self-interested, and resigned to a practical form of survival. Its philosophy is to enjoy simple pleasures—food, alcohol, money, and sex—rather than worry about immortality or grand ideals.
• Novelist appears affectionate and trusting toward Liu Zheng, calling him “Senior” and promising that he will be the first person to review her future writing.
• Hishikibe is comically opportunistic: she immediately agrees to the risky delivery after Novelist promises to buy her the miniature theater.
• The Fisherman reveals greater knowledge of the Dragon-Fishing Rod’s origins and limitations while maintaining his abrasive relationship with Liu Zheng.

Significant Themes

• The burden of survival: The characters acknowledge that both living and dying can involve suffering. The Dead are tormented by weak or excessive obsessions, while the living struggle under work, debt, danger, and uncertainty.
• Immortality and legacy: Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse debate eternal life, becoming a Long-Lived Species, becoming a god, and surviving through memory. The discussion suggests that immortality may be less desirable than meaningful connections or remembered existence.
• Work, debt, and exploitation: Liu Zheng is repeatedly assigned labor and accumulates debts through favors and trades. The Restaurant’s “perk” delivery appears generous only because his previous assignments were so dangerous.
• Humor amid horror: Dark subjects such as death, short-lived miniature actors, dangerous artifacts, and debt are treated through absurd banter and item-description jokes, emphasizing the characters’ coping mechanisms.
• Power with consequences: Both repaired artifacts offer major advantages but carry serious limitations. The Dragon-Fishing Rod becomes temporarily unusable after its most important skill is activated, while the Three-Shaku Mirror may turn against Liu Zheng.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse: Their relationship is built on teasing, complaints, and mutual familiarity. Cow-Horse mocks Liu Zheng’s ambitions, while Liu Zheng responds with dry sarcasm. Their conversation shifts from philosophical despair to ridiculous jokes, reinforcing their camaraderie.
• Liu Zheng and Novelist: They show mutual concern and emotional closeness. Novelist worries about his safety and offers companionship, while Liu Zheng advises her to rest and encourages her writing.
• Novelist and Hishikibe: Novelist manipulates Hishikibe’s willingness to help by promising the miniature theater set. Hishikibe immediately abandons her objections once rewarded.
• Liu Zheng and Ghost Hand: Their exchange is mostly nonverbal, but Liu Zheng correctly interprets Ghost Hand’s request for alcohol in return for the Dragon-Fishing Rod.
• Liu Zheng and the Fisherman: Their antagonistic banter continues, but they cooperate effectively. The Fisherman repairs Liu Zheng’s equipment while explaining the risks and limitations of the process.

Chapter Summary: “Buying a Dragon, Not Buying Dragon-Related Services”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng asks Fisherman when his damaged fishing rod can be fully restored. Fisherman explains that the restoration depends on the quality and quantity of materials provided, preferably living aquatic creatures not native to the Sewer.
• Fisherman agrees to waive the labor fee, but Liu Zheng must provide materials of equivalent value. Higher-quality materials could result in the rod being restored with even rarer materials.
• Liu Zheng decides that finding another restorer would be unreliable and begins searching for suitable materials. Fisherman cannot recommend a source, so Liu Zheng leaves the Sewer.
• He travels to Sa Duyou Trading Company, suspecting it may be connected to one of the Beyond-the-Pass Five Families. Yuan Bao’er confirms that the company belongs to the Hui Family.
• Liu Zheng meets Hui Sanya, the company’s shopkeeper, nicknamed Gray Shopkeeper. Their conversation reveals the complicated family relationships within the Five Families and the secrecy surrounding their internal information.
• Liu Zheng asks to buy a True Dragon. Gray Shopkeeper explains that the company cannot obtain one, nor does it possess a living young dragon. However, it has a Dragon Egg whose fetus has died.
• The egg might still hatch into an Undead Dragon if infused with a large amount of powerful Death Force. Liu Zheng considers asking Gravekeeper about obtaining the necessary Death Force, possibly from the Cemetery.
• Gray Shopkeeper offers the Dragon Egg for one million. Liu Zheng consults Nile Doctor, who confirms that the price is cheap and reasonable.
• Unable or unwilling to pay the full price in cash, Liu Zheng proposes barter or working off the debt. Gray Shopkeeper is interested in purchasing Liu Zheng’s flesh as a rare ingredient for the Hui Family’s Bloodstained Restaurant.
• Liu Zheng agrees to sell parts of his body. Nearly every part of him is cut off and sold, leaving only one tentacle for emergencies. The procedure causes extreme pain, despite Liu Zheng mentally numbing himself.
• Gray Shopkeeper treats him with the Bai Family’s Flesh-Regenerating Bone-Strengthening Paste, rapidly restoring his body. He also gives Liu Zheng a degraded Senzu Bean, which restores stamina and can temporarily store excess stamina.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng asking whether the value of his flesh is sufficient to cover the Dragon Egg.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates practicality, shamelessness, and strong negotiation skills. He is willing to endure extreme pain and sell parts of his body to obtain the Dragon Egg, showing both his desperation and his unusual resilience.
• He also displays increasing awareness of the value and risks of supernatural items, consulting Nile Doctor before agreeing to the purchase and considering the dangers of using Death Force to hatch the egg.
• Fisherman remains irritable and defensive, particularly when Liu Zheng calls him “father-in-law” or hints at his past involvement with the Sewer. Nevertheless, he is willing to help restore Liu Zheng’s fishing rod under proper conditions.
• Gray Shopkeeper is revealed as a shrewd but hospitable merchant. He balances friendliness with clear boundaries, openly admitting that he may refuse requests that are too demanding.
• Yuan Bao’er’s influence continues to benefit Liu Zheng. Because he saved her and protected the Yuan Family’s dignity, members of the other families treat him favorably.
• Nile Doctor serves as a trusted source of appraisal, confirming that the Dragon Egg is being sold below its likely market value.

Significant Themes

• Negotiation and exchange: Liu Zheng repeatedly substitutes favors, labor, materials, or even his own flesh for money. The chapter emphasizes that everything has a price in the supernatural world.
• Resourcefulness and survival: Liu Zheng’s willingness to exploit his connections, endure suffering, and improvise solutions reflects his adaptable survival mentality.
• The value of rare materials: The fishing rod, Dragon Egg, Death Force, and supernatural medicines all demonstrate the importance of scarce, high-grade resources.
• Family power and secrecy: The Beyond-the-Pass Five Families possess extensive influence, wealth, medical knowledge, and specialized businesses, while carefully protecting their internal relationships and information.
• Body and identity: Liu Zheng treats his body as a replaceable resource, reinforcing the chapter’s darkly comic portrayal of his abnormal resilience and the extreme costs of advancement.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter uses banter, absurd negotiations, and Liu Zheng’s casual attitude toward dismemberment to soften otherwise grotesque and dangerous events.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Fisherman argue over the “father-in-law” title while negotiating the restoration of the fishing rod.
• Liu Zheng contacts Yuan Bao’er to verify the trading company’s affiliation, showing his reliance on her status and connections.
• Liu Zheng and Gray Shopkeeper establish a relationship based on mutual frankness, flattery, bargaining, and shared understanding of the supernatural business world.
• Liu Zheng consults Nile Doctor before purchasing the Dragon Egg, demonstrating his habit of verifying major transactions.
• Gray Shopkeeper’s staff harvest Liu Zheng’s flesh, after which Gray Shopkeeper personally oversees his recovery using Bai Family medicine.
• The chapter ends with the Dragon Egg still at the center of the transaction, while Liu Zheng waits to learn whether his bodily sacrifice has paid the one-million price.