Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “I Want You to Court My Daughter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng is caught fishing for a Giant-Mouthed Whale by a strange middle-aged man known as Fisherman.
• Fisherman attacks him with a supernatural fishing line made from his own stretching arm. The line pierces Liu Zheng’s back and proves too strong even for Liu Zheng’s Boning Knife.
• During the interrogation, Liu Zheng explains that he works for the Bloodstained Restaurant and was sent by Executive Chef Napoleon to fish. He also reveals that Ghost Hand accidentally threw him into the area.
• Fisherman recognizes the connection to Ghost Hand and, believing Liu Zheng was genuinely ignorant of the territorial dispute, decides to spare him and let him keep the fish.
• Fisherman then reveals his condition: Liu Zheng must court his daughter.
• The request is motivated by Fisherman’s hatred of a blond man who rides a ghost bike and recently escorted his daughter home. Fisherman fears the man will eventually become involved with her.
• Liu Zheng reluctantly agrees, admitting that he is more comfortable killing enemies than pursuing romance. Fisherman warns him that he must genuinely court the daughter rather than simply eliminate the rival.
• As payment, Fisherman gives Liu Zheng a Black Koi, an item that reduces Luck to zero for twenty-four hours before raising it to its maximum for one minute.
• Liu Zheng initially considers the item dangerously useless, but realizes he can combine it with Cow-Horse’s Lucky Clown Card to offset the negative effect and exploit the brief period of maximum Luck.
• After accepting the deal, Liu Zheng asks Fisherman to describe his daughter.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates his usual caution and adaptability. He gives Fisherman a mixture of truth and omission, hiding important information about Ghost Hand’s skeleton and the Chaos Club gold card.
• He remains pragmatic under threat, quickly recognizing that Fisherman’s interrogation offers a chance for communication and negotiation.
• Liu Zheng’s reluctance toward the courtship highlights his confidence in combat but inexperience—or at least claimed inexperience—in pursuing women.
• He also shows his opportunistic and strategic nature by finding a way to turn the Black Koi’s dangerous Luck effect into a potentially powerful advantage.
• Fisherman is established as domineering, suspicious, temperamental, and fiercely protective of his daughter. Despite his hostility, he honors bargains and rewards Liu Zheng in advance.
• Fisherman’s hatred of the blond ghost-bike rider reveals a strong paternal jealousy and fear of losing influence over his daughter.

Significant Themes

• Negotiation under unequal power: Liu Zheng must cooperate because Fisherman has complete physical control over him, illustrating how survival often requires compromise.
• The absurdity of supernatural society: A dangerous interrogation over stolen fish suddenly becomes a matchmaking arrangement, blending menace with comedy.
• Risk and reward: The Black Koi is extremely dangerous but potentially invaluable when paired with another item, reflecting Liu Zheng’s willingness to exploit hazardous opportunities.
• Pragmatism versus emotion: Fisherman acts from fear and possessiveness, while Liu Zheng treats the courtship as a transactional mission.
• Hidden information and strategic deception: Liu Zheng carefully controls what he reveals, preserving his advantages while appearing cooperative.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Fisherman: Their relationship shifts from captor and prisoner to reluctant business partners. Fisherman threatens and humiliates Liu Zheng, while Liu Zheng responds with sarcasm, flattery, and calculated compliance.
• Fisherman and his daughter: Although she never appears directly, Fisherman’s behavior shows that he is intensely protective and anxious about her romantic choices.
• Fisherman and the blond ghost-bike rider: The unseen rival is portrayed as a major source of Fisherman’s anger, having already begun courting or accompanying the daughter.
• Liu Zheng and the Bloodstained Restaurant: Liu Zheng invokes his employment and Napoleon’s authority to explain his presence, while distancing himself from responsibility for the territorial violation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng questions Fisherman about his daughter so he can attempt to woo her. Fisherman knows remarkably little about her, including her exact age, current interests, and daily life.
• Fisherman provides a photograph showing his daughter as a smiling, short-haired, bespectacled graduate. Liu Zheng decides she is attractive enough that pursuing her will not be too much of a sacrifice.
• Fisherman mentions that his daughter drinks coffee and eats cake from a shop marked by an upside-down deer-head logo. Liu Zheng recognizes it as Bad-Luck Coffee, realizing that pursuing her may expose him to painful supernatural procedures.
• To compensate him, Fisherman gives Liu Zheng one of his severed fingers. The finger can be used as a fishhook that immobilizes any fish—or mermaid—it catches. It also secretly monitors Liu Zheng’s actions.
• Fisherman reveals that his daughter works as a Dungeon Master at a board-game shop and gives Liu Zheng the shop’s address.
• Liu Zheng persuades Fisherman to order a food delivery to his daughter with a twelve-hour delivery window, allowing Liu Zheng to remain away from the restaurant while pursuing her. Fisherman warns him not to use the time for anything else and threatens to transform his lower body into a permanent fish.
• Liu Zheng leaves the underground area carrying the Four-in-One Fishman. He escapes through the well, navigates the Delivery Passage, and successfully returns to the restaurant.
• Because he is still wearing the Customer Service Department cosplay outfit, Liu Zheng is mistaken for or resembles Cow-Horse. Cow-Horse becomes angry at the poor imitation but quickly accepts Liu Zheng’s flattery.
• Cow-Horse explains that the cosplay outfit is a valuable Customer Service Department item and admits that he knows almost nothing about Ghost Hand, who appeared at the restaurant before him.
• Cow-Horse praises Mr. Li for saving Liu Zheng by transforming him into a tentacle monster. Liu Zheng privately remembers that Mr. Li likely intended to harm him by making him consume the Black Goat’s Young’s eyeball and resolves to retaliate if an opportunity arises.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng asking Cow-Horse whether he knows Fisherman.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains opportunistic and shameless, but he also displays professional pride. He cleverly negotiates a long delivery window and uses flattery to manage both Fisherman and Cow-Horse.
• Fisherman is shown to be an emotionally distant and poorly informed father. Despite this, he is fiercely protective of his daughter and willing to provide Liu Zheng with supernatural assistance to prevent her from marrying Blondie.
• Fisherman’s daughter is characterized indirectly as a cheerful graduate, a coffee and cake drinker, and a tabletop-game Dungeon Master. Her apparent connection to Bad-Luck Coffee suggests that she may be involved in the supernatural world.
• Cow-Horse is vain, easily angered, and curious about the restaurant’s mysteries. He is proud of his appearance and strength but can be calmed by praise.
• Liu Zheng’s attitude toward Mr. Li changes further toward distrust and quiet hostility. He now believes Mr. Li deliberately endangered him rather than helping him.

Significant Themes

• Absurd supernatural bureaucracy: Delivery work, customer service uniforms, food orders, and workplace rules function within a bizarre world of monsters and supernatural contracts.
• Family dysfunction: Fisherman’s extreme concern for his daughter contrasts sharply with his ignorance of her life, emphasizing their emotional distance.
• Self-preservation and opportunism: Liu Zheng continually turns dangerous situations into practical advantages, using negotiation, deception, and supernatural objects to survive.
• Trust and hidden motives: Apparent help may conceal danger, as shown by Mr. Li’s “assistance” and Fisherman’s surveillance finger.
• Romance as a mission: Wooing Fisherman’s daughter is treated like a delivery assignment, complete with time limits, conditions, and professional obligations.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Fisherman argue over the daughter’s personal details, the severed-finger compensation, and what Liu Zheng should call him. Fisherman reluctantly permits him to use “Uncle.”
• Liu Zheng persuades Fisherman to place a delivery order, showing his ability to exploit practical loopholes.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse exchange insults and praise over Liu Zheng’s ugly imitation of Cow-Horse’s appearance.
• Their conversation also reveals information about the Customer Service Department, Ghost Hand, and Mr. Li.
• The chapter closes by setting up a possible connection between Cow-Horse and Fisherman.

Chapter Summary: “Epoch Acorn”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng contacts White-Feather Chicken through Cow-Horse to ask about Fisherman, whom he encountered in the Sewer.
• He explains that four Giant-Mouthed Whales from Fisherman’s fishery fused into the Four-in-One Fishman.
• White-Feather Chicken is delighted, revealing that the fish is extremely valuable to them. They ask Cow-Horse to deliver it and promise Liu Zheng an Epoch Acorn, along with one future request.
• White-Feather Chicken explains their history with Fisherman: they once stole fish from his fisheries, Fisherman killed over twenty of their subordinates, and the two sides repeatedly attacked each other until a mediated ceasefire was established.
• Cow-Horse returns with the Epoch Acorn and a gift of dried fish from Salmon. The Epoch Acorn can repair damage caused by unnatural aging and evolve certain elven or plant bloodlines.
• Liu Zheng discusses Fisherman’s demand that he court his daughter. Cow-Horse encourages him to pursue her aggressively, leading to a humorous exchange about Cow-Horse’s own marriage.
• Ghost Hand returns with a food delivery. Liu Zheng rewards them with soda instead of alcohol, noticing a severe X-shaped wound filled with golden magma.
• The wound suggests Ghost Hand survived an extremely dangerous attack and may have a connection to the mayor or Si Xue.
• Liu Zheng receives a new delivery order: one sour fish-and-vegetable dish must be taken to the “Red Witch” board-game store within twelve hours. The customer is Sea Woman.
• Despite the absurdity and likely danger of the task, Liu Zheng sets out, joking that he is going to court a girl “by imperial decree.”

Character Development

• Liu Zheng becomes more deeply entangled in the conflicts and relationships of the Sewer’s powerful beings. His accidental capture of the fused fish earns White-Feather Chicken’s respect and establishes him as a useful, lucky figure.
• He also shows growing confidence and responsibility: despite fearing Fisherman’s daughter and recognizing the danger involved, he accepts the task rather than retreating.
• White-Feather Chicken is revealed to be practical, temperamental, and deeply invested in obtaining Giant-Mouthed Whales. Their feud with Fisherman stems from mutual violence rather than simple misunderstanding.
• Cow-Horse continues acting as Liu Zheng’s handler and comic foil. They are crude and reckless in their advice but remain protective and dependable, delivering both the reward and Salmon’s gifts.
• Ghost Hand appears injured but still functional, suggesting considerable resilience. Their quiet gratitude toward Liu Zheng strengthens their developing bond.
• Fisherman remains largely mysterious but is shown to be powerful, vindictive, and intensely protective of his daughter.

Significant Themes

• Unintended consequences and opportunism: Liu Zheng’s accidental fusion of the whales turns an ordinary encounter into a valuable transaction.
• Old grudges and fragile truces: White-Feather Chicken and Fisherman’s conflict demonstrates how cycles of retaliation can eventually produce uneasy agreements.
• Power and obligation: Rewards such as the Epoch Acorn come with implied debts, while Liu Zheng’s courtship assignment appears to be another attempt to control his choices.
• Care hidden beneath hostility: Cow-Horse’s insults, White-Feather Chicken’s rough manner, and Ghost Hand’s quiet actions all conceal forms of loyalty or gratitude.
• Danger beneath comedy: The chapter uses humor to mask serious threats, including Ghost Hand’s devastating wound, Fisherman’s power, and the potentially perilous courtship mission.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and White-Feather Chicken establish a cooperative relationship through the Four-in-One Fishman.
• Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse exchange sarcastic banter over romance, marriage, and Fisherman’s daughter, highlighting their familiar and antagonistic friendship.
• Liu Zheng shows compassion toward Ghost Hand by preventing them from leaving empty-handed and giving them soda.
• Cow-Horse notices the significance of Ghost Hand’s injury and connects it to earlier information about Si Xue and gold.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng and Cow-Horse beginning a delivery that may also serve as Liu Zheng’s forced attempt to win Fisherman’s daughter.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng delivers the Epoch Acorn to the French Plane Tree so it can complete the unstable Growth Ring Pact and evolve.
• The acorn triggers ancient inherited memories and reveals two possible evolutionary paths:
  • Tree Demon: a more powerful tree that can move somewhat but must remain rooted.
  • Phoenix: a fully mobile, flying creature, but one that must spend at least a month building a nest, laying and incubating an egg, and remaining nearly defenseless.
• Liu Zheng encourages the tree to choose the Phoenix path, recognizing that it secretly longs for freedom and flight. He proposes having Cow-Horse protect it during its vulnerable transformation, but the tree distrusts Cow-Horse and points out a greater danger: evolving into a Phoenix would invalidate the Growth Ring Pact, allowing it to kill Liu Zheng.
• Their conversation exposes a paradox: the tree needs another pact to safely evolve, but can currently sign only one, which it has already made with Liu Zheng. Liu Zheng leaves it tequila and SB Calcium Milk while it considers its decision.
• Liu Zheng then goes to the Red Witch board game café to deliver an order to Sea Woman.
• Before entering, he is struck by lightning from the witch statue atop the building after mentally insulting its grotesque design. The statue appears able to read minds and deliberately strikes him several more times when he sarcastically asks for additional punishment.
• After regenerating and restoring his normal size by eating dried fish, Liu Zheng enters the café and learns that Sea Woman is hosting a game and will be unavailable for about an hour.
• The receptionist insists that customers must be playing a board game to remain inside. When Liu Zheng tries to leave instead, she reveals that he also cannot leave unless he plays, ending the chapter with him trapped in the café.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates empathy and insight into the French Plane Tree’s hidden desires, correctly identifying its wish to fly despite its denials. He also tries to solve its practical concerns by arranging protection through Cow-Horse.
• He remains reckless and sarcastic, especially when insulting the witch statue, but his regenerative ability allows him to survive repeated lightning strikes.
• The French Plane Tree is revealed to be conflicted between safety and freedom. It fears losing the protection of its pact and becoming vulnerable during its transformation, yet clearly yearns to escape its stationary existence.
• The tree also becomes more openly threatening toward Liu Zheng, joking—or perhaps seriously promising—to eat him once the pact disappears.
• Cow-Horse is indirectly characterized as untrustworthy and opportunistic, planning to leave the restaurant to begin smuggling.
• The Red Witch statue and the café receptionist are established as dangerous, supernatural figures. The statue is petty and mind-reading, while the receptionist appears vampiric and enforces the café’s strange rules.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus security: The French Plane Tree must choose between remaining protected and rooted or risking everything for the freedom to fly.
• Trust and unreliable alliances: Liu Zheng attempts to connect the tree and Cow-Horse through an agreement, but neither side trusts the other, and the Growth Ring Pact itself creates an impossible dependency.
• Transformation and identity: Becoming a Phoenix would grant the tree freedom but erase its existing nature as a tree and invalidate its pact with Liu Zheng.
• Absurdity and hidden danger: Everyday situations—delivery work, a café entrance, or a statue—contain bizarre supernatural threats. Liu Zheng’s casual behavior repeatedly produces dangerous consequences.
• Entrapment and coercion: The café’s rule that one must play to stay or leave suggests that Liu Zheng has entered another forced game or supernatural trial.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the French Plane Tree argue over its evolutionary choice, with Liu Zheng acting as an adviser and the tree responding defensively and mockingly.
• Liu Zheng proposes that Cow-Horse protect the tree, but the tree rejects the idea because it distrusts Cow-Horse and doubts Liu Zheng’s ability to enforce the arrangement.
• The witch statue silently punishes Liu Zheng for his thoughts and then appears amused by his suffering.
• The receptionist initially treats Liu Zheng politely while processing the delivery, but her pleasant demeanor becomes threatening when she reveals that he is forbidden both to remain without playing and to leave without playing.

Chapter Summary: “Playing Gomoku with Your Bones”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng discovers that the Board-Game Hall has a minimum-spending requirement and refuses to leave without playing a game.
• He argues humorously with the receptionist over whether an arcade fishing game qualifies as a board game, then settles on Gomoku.
• Since the hall does not own a Gomoku set, Liu Zheng improvises one using supernatural materials:
  • He cuts off part of the receptionist’s tentacle to make white pieces.
  • He cuts a rectangular section of his own skin to create the board.
  • He orders the receptionist to cut off her own body parts for black pieces.
• The receptionist resists, so Liu Zheng intimidates her by threatening to complain to City Hall and have powerful figures or the Kitchen target her.
• He boasts of his connections with influential supernatural beings, including Oink, the Heaven Butcher, the Fire Mage, the Casino’s Demon, and the Fisherman.
• His threats about the Kitchen—where she would be tortured and used as a source of blood for rats—terrify the receptionist.
• When she finally tries to attack him with sound blades, Liu Zheng remains unfazed because his body regenerates.
• He explains that he could theoretically force her to play numerous Gomoku games using their bones, since he cannot permanently die and can regrow severed parts.
• The receptionist begs for mercy and offers herself to him, but Liu Zheng instead asks her to trim his hoof. She misunderstands the request as a sexual demand, creating the chapter’s final comedic twist.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng is portrayed as shameless, domineering, fearless, and highly manipulative. He uses absurd logic, threats, and knowledge of the supernatural hierarchy to force the receptionist into submission.
• His regenerative ability is emphasized: severed body parts can grow back, making his threats to play endless games with bones credible.
• Despite presenting himself as a “humble Deliveryman,” Liu Zheng demonstrates confidence and influence among powerful supernatural figures.
• The receptionist shifts from confident and threatening to frightened and submissive. Her initial authority collapses once Liu Zheng reveals his connections and threatens to send her to the Kitchen.
• Her fear remains mixed with anger; she attempts violence but ultimately begs for forgiveness and adopts a servile “Master” persona to survive.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Social status, connections, and reputation are more important than formal authority in the supernatural world.
• Cruel humor and grotesque absurdity: Body parts, skin, bones, blood, and torture are treated as ordinary materials for a board game, creating dark comedy.
• Reversal of predator and prey: The receptionist initially threatens to drain Liu Zheng, but he quickly becomes the more frightening figure.
• Resourcefulness and defiance: Liu Zheng refuses to accept limitations, improvising a game set from living bodies and turning the hall’s rules against its employee.
• Miscommunication and comic subversion: The receptionist interprets Liu Zheng’s request in a suggestive way, while he merely wants his hoof trimmed.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the receptionist engage in a prolonged verbal power struggle.
• He challenges her definitions, insults her service, and pressures her through threats involving City Hall and the Kitchen.
• She tries to maintain professional composure but becomes increasingly panicked as Liu Zheng displays supernatural resilience and apparent influence.
• Their interaction ends with the receptionist kneeling and offering submission, only for Liu Zheng to reject her implied seduction and demand a hoof-trimming instead.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng forces the vampire receptionist to submit by brutally removing parts of her body, including ten fingers, four fangs, and two ribs. He uses threats and physical intimidation because he believes the strange residents will not cooperate without first being subdued.
• His real goal is not to harm her permanently but to obtain her help in courting Sea Woman, whose father hired him.
• The receptionist suggests that Liu Zheng impress Sea Woman by performing well in a Werewolf game, since Sea Woman enjoys hosting them.
• Liu Zheng recalls that he is excellent at identifying werewolves as a villager but consistently fails when assigned the werewolf role. He therefore asks the receptionist to arrange for him to receive a villager role.
• In exchange, the receptionist requests a sip of Vlad III’s heartblood. Liu Zheng refuses to provide it immediately but takes her contact information, considering her as a possible future subordinate for Cow-Horse’s smuggling operation.
• The receptionist reveals that she became a vampire only six years earlier. Her blood father was captured by hospital personnel and allegedly used as a dialysis machine, leaving her with little money or inheritance.
• The receptionist secretly arranges for Liu Zheng to join a twelve-person Werewolf game, allowing him to meet Sea Woman.
• Sea Woman appears, changes into a more attractive and carefully styled outfit, and enthusiastically takes Liu Zheng upstairs to the game. Her immediate interest in him strengthens Liu Zheng’s determination to complete the matchmaking commission.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng is shown to be ruthless, manipulative, and confident. He has little sympathy for enemies and relies on both violence and negotiation to get what he wants. At the same time, he demonstrates strategic thinking by considering the receptionist’s usefulness as a future associate.
• The receptionist shifts from defiance to fear and obedience after Liu Zheng’s assault. Despite her resentment, she proves practical and opportunistic, negotiating for Vlad III’s heartblood and helping Liu Zheng once she sees potential benefits.
• Sea Woman is introduced as energetic, sociable, and passionate about Werewolf games. Her eagerness to involve Liu Zheng and her carefully changed appearance suggest that she may already be interested in making a favorable impression.

Significant Themes

• Power and coercion: Liu Zheng believes force is more dependable than kindness when dealing with supernatural residents.
• Transactional relationships: Cooperation is governed by bargaining, intimidation, money, rare resources, and future opportunities rather than trust.
• Manipulation and performance: Liu Zheng must “perform” well in Werewolf to attract Sea Woman, while the receptionist and Sea Woman both manage appearances to influence others.
• Survival and opportunism: Characters adapt quickly to unequal power structures, seeking whatever resources or alliances will improve their position.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng dominates the receptionist through threats and mutilation, then softens the interaction by offering her Bad-Luck Coffee.
• The receptionist advises him on how to attract Sea Woman and negotiates for vampire-related compensation.
• Liu Zheng and the receptionist secretly coordinate his entry into the Werewolf game through gestures and coded communication.
• When Sea Woman arrives, she immediately takes charge, grabs one of Liu Zheng’s tentacles, and leads him upstairs, creating the first direct interaction between them.

Chapter Summary: “Don’t Get Eaten”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng enters the second floor of the supernatural building, where four ominous doors represent different Werewolf-game identities:
  • A wolf pelt for Werewolf
  • A hunting rifle for Hunter
  • Purple and green reagent bottles for Witch
  • A crying eye for Seer
• Sea Woman explains that each door wants to win. If Liu Zheng draws the identity connected to a door and loses, his soul will be exchanged with the door’s spirit until another victim replaces him. Winning earns a reward from the door.
• Liu Zheng tries to curry favor with Sea Woman by giving her coffee and openly admits that he is attempting to court her. She responds bluntly but continues assisting him.
• Sea Woman hints that the reagent door—the Witch’s door—is especially eager to win. Liu Zheng chooses it, reasoning that his familiarity with Werewolf makes him well suited to playing the Witch.
• Before entering, Sea Woman places a fox mask over Liu Zheng’s face. The mask initially blinds him and prevents him from seeing the other players, though she eventually restores his vision.
• The players gather for a twelve-person Seer-Witch-Hunter-Guard game. The setup includes:
  • Good faction: Seer, Witch, Hunter, Guard, and four Villagers
  • Werewolf faction: White Werewolf King and three ordinary Werewolves
  • A Sheriff election with enhanced voting authority
  • Special rules regarding self-destruction and the Witch’s ability to save herself only on the first night
• Liu Zheng is assigned Player 8 and discovers that he has indeed drawn the Witch role.
• The game begins as night falls, and Sea Woman warns him, “Don’t get eaten.”

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng remains confident, shameless, and humorous even in a life-threatening supernatural situation. He treats the terrifying doors as if they are merely guests to be greeted and uses coffee to influence Sea Woman.
• His confidence is justified by his experience with Werewolf. He recognizes the Witch as a powerful but risky role and understands how easily poor decisions could destroy the Good faction.
• Liu Zheng also shows self-awareness, admitting that his expressions may reveal too much when playing Werewolf. The masks eliminate this weakness by making all players appear identical.
• Sea Woman acts as Liu Zheng’s guide and game host. She is practical, direct, and somewhat receptive to his flirtation, accepting the coffee while refusing to give him an easy advantage. Her warning about the Witch’s door suggests she may be subtly helping him.
• The other players are introduced as suspicious and potentially hostile, since any of them could be assigned the dangerous Witch identity.

Significant Themes

• Life as a game of chance: The supernatural doors turn Werewolf into a literal struggle for survival, where losing means surrendering one’s soul.
• Manipulation and strategy: Liu Zheng uses both game knowledge and social manipulation, particularly his coffee gift and flirtation with Sea Woman, to improve his position.
• Identity and concealment: The masks prevent players from reading facial expressions, forcing them to rely on logic, speech, and deduction rather than physical reactions.
• Humor in the face of danger: Liu Zheng’s jokes and irreverence contrast sharply with the deadly stakes, showing his ability to remain composed under pressure.
• Risk and responsibility: The Witch’s powers can save or kill, but mistakes may cause the Good faction to collapse, foreshadowing difficult choices ahead.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng jokes with the supernatural door decorations and treats their threatening reactions as a “warm welcome.”
• He gives Sea Woman coffee, openly tells her he is trying to court her, and asks for advice in exchange for the drink.
• Sea Woman warns him that the reagent door wants to win, indirectly encouraging him to choose the Witch’s room.
• She physically guides him through the masked doorway, restrains him from speaking during the rules briefing, and explains the deadly game conditions.
• Their exchange establishes a playful but dangerous relationship, with Liu Zheng using charm and Sea Woman maintaining control of the situation.

Chapter Summary: Werewolf Battle Royale

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng begins the night phase transformed into a weak, shriveled witch in a dense forest under a blood-red moon.
• Four Werewolves attack and brutally kill him. His Sanity Decline Immunity prevents the death from mentally damaging him.
• The system identifies him as Player 8 and gives him the option to use the witch’s antidote. Liu immediately chooses to revive himself, believing saving the first-night victim is strategically essential.
• The antidote restores his body, but it also transforms him into a half-human, half-plant creature.
• Day arrives, and Liu meets the other eleven players at an abandoned village. They gather in the square beneath a wolf-human statue.
• Nearly every player runs for sheriff, with only Player 8 abstaining. Liu realizes that had he also competed, the village might have had no sheriff at all, allowing the Werewolves to exploit the situation.
• Player 10 claims to be an ordinary villager and discusses the importance of leaving a sheriff-badge succession plan.
• Player 11 claims to be the Seer and states that he checked Player 8, identifying him as a good player. He asks Liu to vote for him and names Player 10 as the first person in his badge plan.
• Before Player 12, who claims to be the Witch, can finish speaking, a random disaster is triggered: Sulfuric Acid Rain will fall in thirty minutes and kill anyone outside.
• Once the rain ends, the players must immediately proceed to the execution vote.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Demonstrates composure and strategic thinking despite experiencing a terrifying death. He uses the antidote without hesitation, prioritizing the village’s survival over conserving resources. His revival grants him a new half-plant body, adding another layer to his already unusual existence. He also carefully observes the other players and begins evaluating their credibility.
• Player 10: Presents himself as a carefree but experienced villager. His comments suggest frustration with previous poor play and an understanding of sheriff-election strategy.
• Player 11: Claims the Seer role and publicly confirms Liu as good. He speaks confidently and establishes an initial sheriff-badge plan, but his claim remains unverified because other players have not yet spoken.
• Player 12: Claims to be the Witch, though the disaster interrupts the explanation of their first-night actions.

Significant Themes

• Survival and psychological endurance: Liu’s gruesome death tests his ability to remain mentally stable, but his immunity and experience allow him to continue functioning.
• Strategic resource management: The antidote represents a limited but crucial tool. Liu believes using it immediately prevents the village from losing an entire round and avoids leaving valuable abilities unused.
• Deception and uncertainty: Players must assess conflicting role claims, especially Player 11’s Seer claim and Player 12’s Witch claim, without reliable confirmation.
• Power versus vulnerability: Liu’s transformed witch body is physically helpless, contrasting with his previous monstrous form, but his strategic judgment remains strong.
• Chaos beyond the game’s normal rules: The sudden acid rain introduces an environmental threat that forces players to prioritize shelter and survival before voting.

Character Interactions

• Liu has no meaningful interaction with the Werewolves beyond being attacked, but his survival reflects the conflict between the Werewolves’ hunting strategy and the Witch’s antidote.
• Player 11 directly addresses Liu, asking him to vote for him as the genuine Seer after supposedly confirming Liu’s alignment.
• Player 10’s speech indirectly influences Liu’s assessment of him, making Liu view him as likely good.
• The players collectively gather, compete for sheriff, and silently scrutinize one another, establishing an atmosphere of distrust before the acid-rain crisis interrupts the debate.

Chapter Summary: “Highest Status in the Game”

Key Plot Points and Events

• With only thirty minutes left and eleven players remaining, the game enters a highly pressured phase. Each player has less than three minutes for speeches, voting, and the sheriff election.
• Player 12 claims to be the Witch, saying he saved Player 8 the previous night and identifying Player 8 as his “silver water.” He suggests that Player 8 vote for Player 11 if no Seer reveals themselves and hints that he may poison Player 11.
• Liu Zheng, secretly aware of the real situation, considers several explanations for Player 12’s claim:
  • Player 12 may be falsely claiming Witch to win Liu Zheng’s vote.
  • Player 12 may be a wolf who knows Liu Zheng was attacked.
  • Player 12 may be deliberately testing Liu Zheng to see whether he reveals himself as the Witch.
• Player 12’s claim temporarily raises Player 8’s apparent status, since Player 8 receives both a supposed “gold water” claim from Player 11 and “silver water” from Player 12.
• Player 1 then claims to be the real Seer, declaring Player 11 a wolf and Player 8 a wolf teammate. He proposes that Player 12 be trusted to deal with Player 11, but his speech is internally inconsistent: he gives a black check to the only player off the ballot while still expecting that player’s support.
• Player 2 openly criticizes Player 1’s logic, pointing out that Player 8 could not reasonably vote for someone who had just accused him of being a wolf. She remains neutral overall, though she also expresses suspicion toward Players 11 and 12.
• Player 3 claims to be the real Seer, calls Player 1 a confirmed wolf, and gives Player 8 “gold water.” He urges Player 8 to vote for him and asks Player 12 to poison Player 11.
• The majority of subsequent players criticize Player 1, causing his credibility to collapse. Players 5 and 7 attract suspicion because they speak unusually long despite the time pressure.
• Player 9 makes another Seer claim, identifying Player 12 as a black check. He proposes executing Player 12 first, checking Player 8 that night, and later resolving the conflicting claims involving Players 1 and 2.
• The sheriff election reaches its decisive moment. Since Liu Zheng is the only player off the ballot, his single vote may determine the result.
• The chapter ends just as Liu Zheng makes his decision, without revealing whom he votes for.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng becomes the central decision-maker. His apparent status rises sharply because Players 11 and 12 both claim to have verified or protected him, but this also places him under intense scrutiny. He must conceal his true identity while judging which Seer and Witch claims are genuine.
• Player 12 presents himself as the Witch and speaks confidently, but his attempt to guide the vote against Player 11 makes him suspicious. His final threat to use the poison slightly improves his credibility in Liu Zheng’s eyes, though Liu Zheng still considers him likely to be a wolf.
• Player 1 damages his own credibility through an aggressive but contradictory Seer claim. His accusation against Player 8, the apparent central player in the round, makes him look like an implausibly reckless wolf.
• Player 2 emerges as a sharp and outspoken analyst. She immediately identifies the practical flaws in Player 1’s plan while avoiding a full commitment to either side.
• Player 3 gains influence by defending Player 8 and attacking Player 1. His confidence and coherent strategy make him appear much more credible than Player 1.
• Player 9 introduces a new complication by claiming Seer and accusing Player 12. His plan is more structured than Player 1’s, but it creates a three-way conflict among competing Seer claims.
• Player 8 becomes the most politically important player in the game, receiving multiple protective or accusatory claims. His vote is crucial despite his own identity remaining uncertain to the other players.

Significant Themes

• Mistrust and deception: Almost every claim may be a lie, and even apparently helpful information can be a trap designed to expose a special role.
• The danger of overplaying: Player 1’s overly aggressive strategy undermines him because his proposed actions do not logically follow from his claimed identity.
• Information versus credibility: Correctly naming the attacked player gives Player 12 useful credibility, but his motives and voting suggestions remain suspicious.
• Time pressure and decision-making: The shrinking time limit forces players to make judgments from incomplete evidence, increasing the value of concise, logical speeches.
• Status as a strategic weapon: Player 8’s perceived importance rises because multiple players claim to protect or identify him. In this game, reputation can be as powerful—and as dangerous—as actual information.
• The game as a mystery: The chapter emphasizes that the situation is not merely a conventional Werewolf contest. The contradictory claims form a larger puzzle in which players must infer hidden motives and roles.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Player 12: Player 12 attempts to gain Liu Zheng’s support by claiming to have saved him, while Liu Zheng privately considers whether this is a test of his identity.
• Player 1 and Player 8: Player 1 labels Player 8 a wolf, but his demand that Player 8 support him makes the accusation strategically nonsensical.
• Player 2 and Player 1: Player 2 directly exposes the flaws in Player 1’s speech, significantly weakening his standing.
• Player 3 and Player 8: Player 3 defends Player 8, claims to be the true Seer, and asks for Player 8’s vote.
• Players 11, 12, and 9: Their conflicting claims and accusations create the main structure of the round. Player 11 and Player 12 appear to support Player 8, while Player 9 accuses Player 12 of being a wolf.
• Liu Zheng and the entire game: Because he alone is off the ballot, Liu Zheng’s vote becomes decisive. The chapter closes on the suspense of which faction he will support.

Chapter Summary

• Sheriff election and voting: Liu Zheng distrusts all four Seer claims but ultimately votes for Player 3, partly because the fake Witch, Player 12, urges him to vote for Player 11. Player 3 is elected Sheriff. He orders everyone to vote out Player 1 and announces that Player 12 should poison Player 9, who had claimed a Seer result against him.
• Player 1’s execution: Player 1 claims he only pretended to be the Seer to draw out information and calmly accepts the vote. The players unanimously execute him, including Player 1 himself. He is hanged on a magically appearing gallows.
• Sulfuric Acid Rain: Immediately afterward, the warning for Sulfuric Acid Rain forces everyone to seek shelter. Liu Zheng is denied entry to a house because Player 6 enters first, so he hides in a barn. He grabs a Great Rooster and brings it inside, discovering that animals are not restricted by the one-person-per-building rule.
• The rain’s deadly effect: The acid rain rapidly destroys Player 1’s body, the gallows, and much of the village terrain. Buildings are protected by glowing barriers, while a mysterious statue in the village square remains completely unharmed. Liu Zheng suspects the statue is important but cannot read its inscription or determine whose identity it represents.
• The talking rooster: The rooster unexpectedly speaks. Liu Zheng names him Qin Shi Huang, after the emperor, though the rooster insists that receiving a name makes Liu Zheng only a friend—not his master. The rooster reveals that he can talk because he was the only chick successfully hatched by his master, the village Carpenter. He also claims he deliberately allowed Liu Zheng to catch him because Liu Zheng smelled like one of his kind.
• Investigation begins: Liu Zheng decides to exploit the rooster’s knowledge and asks who the statue depicts. The chapter ends before Qin Shi Huang can answer, setting up the upcoming “Werewolf Village Strange Incident.”

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Zheng becomes increasingly suspicious that the game contains a deeper mystery beyond ordinary Werewolf-game strategy. He observes the statue, questions the meaning of the animals, and begins gathering information through Qin Shi Huang.
• Player 1 appears less like a desperate wolf after calmly admitting his deception and accepting execution, though his true identity remains unresolved.
• Player 3, now Sheriff, acts decisively under time pressure, maintaining his badge plan and directing the group’s votes and nighttime actions.
• Liu Zheng and Qin Shi Huang develop a humorous but manipulative friendship. Liu saves the rooster from the acid rain, gives him a grand name, threatens to eat him, and then questions him about the village. Their exchange reveals the rooster’s loyalty to the Carpenter and hints at unusual rules governing the village’s animals.
• The rooster’s reference to the Carpenter introduces a new possible figure connected to the village’s hidden structure and the mysterious statue.

Significant Themes

• Survival and distrust: Players must make decisions with incomplete and contradictory information while facing immediate environmental danger.
• The game concealing a larger mystery: The Werewolf match is revealed to be only one layer of the setting; the statue, animals, and village rules may be crucial to winning or understanding the scenario.
• Protection and vulnerability: Buildings offer magical safety from the acid rain, while exposed players are destroyed instantly, emphasizing the brutal physical stakes of the game.
• Identity and knowledge: False roles, hidden affiliations, the unreadable statue, and the rooster’s unusual speech all reinforce the uncertainty surrounding who—and what—exists in the village.
• Comic relief amid horror: Liu Zheng’s banter with the rooster, especially the argument over names, masters, and warm hatching “butts,” contrasts with the grotesque execution and acid-rain deaths.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng questions Great Rooster about the statue in the village and learns that it depicts the Old Village Chief, a former leader who brought outsiders and wealth to the impoverished village.
• The Old Village Chief later became “sick,” transforming into what Liu Zheng suspects was a Werewolf. Many others became ill afterward, suggesting that either the original villagers or the outsiders may have turned into Werewolves.
• Liu Zheng theorizes that the conflict between villagers and Werewolves may actually reflect a deeper conflict between the village’s native inhabitants and the outsiders the chief brought in.
• Great Rooster explains that the Carpenter hid him in the chicken coop before leaving and stocked it with food. This suggests the Carpenter departed deliberately rather than being suddenly captured or killed.
• With one hour remaining before nightfall—and the Sulfuric Acid Rain temporarily stopped—Liu Zheng decides to explore rather than remain hidden. He believes his prominent identity makes him a likely target that night.
• Liu Zheng keeps a powerful single-use item, the Golden Finger, as a last resort. It can grant one of three random cheat abilities and provides him with confidence that he can survive the dangerous game.
• He leaves the barn carrying grain and Great Rooster. Since the players cannot communicate directly, he uses the grain to get past Player Number 10 and enters the Carpenter’s house.
• Searching the Carpenter’s home, Liu Zheng finds clothes and belongings left behind. He concludes that the Carpenter likely escaped in a hurry but had enough warning to take most of his possessions, meaning he may still be alive and hiding somewhere.
• Great Rooster reveals a concealed trapdoor in the kitchen, uncovering a hidden entrance beneath the floor.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Becomes increasingly analytical, piecing together the village’s history and the possible origins of the Werewolves. He also grows more proactive and willing to take risks, deciding to investigate before nightfall instead of relying solely on protection or his Golden Finger.
• Great Rooster: Provides crucial information about the Old Village Chief and the Carpenter, though he remains limited by his animal perspective and lack of knowledge. His ability to locate the hidden passage proves valuable.
• The Carpenter: Although absent, he becomes a central mystery. His carefully planned departure and hidden coop suggest he anticipated danger and may still be alive.
• Player Number 10: Appears guarded and potentially aggressive. He blocks Liu Zheng’s path but backs down when Liu Zheng pushes past him, reinforcing the uncertainty surrounding his allegiance.
• Other players: Continue searching, relocating, and exploring independently while remaining unable to communicate because Sea Woman is observing them from a godlike perspective.

Significant Themes

• Truth hidden beneath appearances: The village’s official history, its statue, and the supposed conflict between villagers and Werewolves may conceal a more complicated reality.
• Outsiders versus natives: Liu Zheng considers whether the Werewolf outbreak represents a social conflict between the original villagers and the newcomers who transformed the village.
• Survival and risk: Liu Zheng weighs the safety of hiding against the need to act before nightfall, emphasizing the dangers of passivity in the game.
• Knowledge and ignorance: Great Rooster’s limited understanding contrasts with Liu Zheng’s deductive reasoning. Even incomplete testimony can reveal important clues.
• Hidden histories and concealed spaces: The Carpenter’s abandoned belongings and secret passage suggest that the village contains undiscovered secrets connected to the larger mystery.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng interrogates Great Rooster about the statue, the Old Village Chief, the villagers, and the Carpenter.
• He teasingly criticizes Great Rooster for being unable to read, but the chicken dismisses his expectations as unreasonable.
• Liu Zheng and Player Number 10 interact silently due to the communication restrictions. Liu Zheng uses a bag of grain to move past him, while Number 10 shows irritation but avoids confrontation.
• Great Rooster guides Liu Zheng through the Carpenter’s house and ultimately reveals the hidden trapdoor in the kitchen, setting up the chapter’s next discovery.

Chapter Summary: “The Bomber Among Roosters”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng explores the basement beneath the Kitchen with Qin Shi Huang, the talking Great Rooster.
• He finds food supplies, a chicken nest, and a hidden, badly stained letter.
• The letter appears to have been written by the Carpenter and mentions:
  • A suspicious priest who has arrived while everyone is sick.
  • Red Riding Hood entering the forest and being in danger.
  • The Carpenter’s intention to leave.
  • A request to protect the Great Rooster.
  • Contradictory instructions about whether to search for the Carpenter or bring the rooster into the forest.
• Liu Zheng questions the letter’s authenticity because the Great Rooster claimed the Carpenter was illiterate, yet the handwriting appears genuine.
• The Great Rooster lays an egg as a reward for Liu Zheng saving him. The egg contains a Divine Favor Card called “Unstable Compound.”
• The card allows the witch to kill one random Werewolf if the witch is killed at night, and it can be combined with the witch’s poison.
• The host publicly announces that Liu Zheng, as the witch, has obtained the card. Although this reveals his identity, Liu Zheng realizes it may discourage the Werewolves from killing him.
• Night begins. Four Werewolves roam the village, and one stares at Liu Zheng through the window before leaving.
• The host asks Liu Zheng whether he will use his remaining poison. Without an antidote, he must decide whether to risk poisoning someone based on the players’ earlier statements.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng becomes increasingly suspicious and analytical. He identifies contradictions in the Carpenter’s letter and carefully considers whether it was forged or altered.
• He also demonstrates strategic thinking by recognizing that the public revelation of his witch identity may protect him from being targeted.
• The Great Rooster/Qin Shi Huang proves to be more important than a simple companion. He possesses knowledge of the Carpenter, can lay magical eggs, and provides Liu Zheng with a powerful advantage.
• The Carpenter becomes a more mysterious figure. His literacy, relationship with Red Riding Hood, and possible connection to the priest are all called into question.
• The priest is established as a potentially central antagonist or source of the village’s supernatural crisis.
• Red Riding Hood is revealed to be connected to the Carpenter and possibly endangered—or dangerous herself.

Significant Themes

• Trust and deception: The letter’s contradictions and questions about the Carpenter’s literacy make it unclear who is telling the truth.
• Hidden identities and unreliable information: The game’s roles, forged messages, and public announcements force Liu Zheng to judge appearances carefully.
• Strategic sacrifice and risk: The Divine Favor Card gives the good faction a major advantage, but Liu Zheng must still risk using poison without knowing whether his choice is correct.
• Mystery and ambiguity: The priest, the forest, Red Riding Hood, and the altered letter deepen the larger mystery surrounding Werewolf Village.
• Unexpected power in the ordinary: The Great Rooster’s egg becomes a source of a powerful supernatural card, showing that seemingly comic or mundane elements may be crucial.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Great Rooster exchange skeptical, humorous dialogue while investigating the basement and the nest.
• Liu Zheng questions the rooster’s claims about the Carpenter and worries about the rooster’s safety.
• The Great Rooster repays Liu Zheng by giving him the magical egg and explaining its purpose.
• The host interferes with Liu Zheng’s plans by announcing the card publicly, affecting the balance between the witch and the Werewolves.
• A Werewolf confronts Liu Zheng at his window, creating a tense silent interaction whose meaning remains uncertain.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng forced to make a decisive choice about using his poison against a suspected player.

Chapter Summary: “Willing to Sacrifice the Rooster to Catch the Eagle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng decides to poison Player 12 because Number 12 appeared to know that someone had died during the previous night, suggesting he was either the Witch or a Werewolf.
• He uses poisonous smoke to kill Number 12, whose body dissolves into black water.
• At daybreak, the Host announces that Players 12 and 5 have died, creating a double death. Liu Zheng realizes Number 5 may have been killed by the Werewolves, while his own poison eliminated Number 12.
• The Host activates a severe Heavenly Punishment: after the chosen player is executed, the two nearest surviving players are also banished.
• Liu Zheng argues that everyone should vote for Number 10, who has openly claimed to be a villager. This would guarantee the removal of at least one Werewolf if Numbers 9 and 11 are opposing Seers, and might eliminate two Werewolves at the cost of one villager.
• Nearly everyone follows his plan. Number 10 is executed along with Numbers 9 and 11, who are positioned nearest to him. Number 9’s final vote against the Sheriff, Number 3, increases suspicion around the Seer claims.
• During the activity period, Liu Zheng reviews the remaining players and estimates that between one and three Werewolves may still be alive. He concludes that the game may depend not only on voting but also on Divine Favor Cards and other hidden mechanics.
• Liu Zheng decides to search for Great Rooster’s missing master. He attempts to leave secretly, but Players 2 and 6, along with others, follow him.
• To escape the group, Liu Zheng uses his enhanced physical strength and runs into the forest. He reaches a mysterious crossroads with eight identical paths.
• Great Rooster refuses to help locate his master and instead searches for insects. Suddenly, an owl swoops down, grabs the rooster, and flies away. Liu Zheng immediately pursues it, realizing that Great Rooster may serve as bait or an accidental guide.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng: Becomes increasingly calculating and ruthless. He willingly sacrifices Number 12 and later treats Great Rooster as expendable bait if it helps him uncover the larger mystery. His Witch abilities are exhausted, leaving him effectively like a villager, but he relies on physical enhancements and the Divine Favor Card to protect himself.
• Player 12: Is revealed to have been concealing his identity or pretending to know more than he should. His failure to convincingly imitate the Witch results in Liu Zheng poisoning him.
• Player 10: Accepts the group’s decision to sacrifice him, voting for himself despite being labeled a villager.
• Players 9 and 11: Continue insisting that Number 3’s Sheriff badge should be removed. Their alignment remains uncertain, but Liu Zheng believes at least one of them must be a Werewolf.
• Great Rooster: Remains childish, disobedient, and defensive. He denies being able to track his master and quarrels with Liu Zheng over his messy eating habits. His sudden capture by an owl makes him unexpectedly important to Liu Zheng’s investigation.
• Players 2 and 6: Demonstrate growing distrust of Liu Zheng by following him rather than allowing him to leave alone.
• Number 3: Remains under suspicion because the conflict between the competing Seer claims has not been resolved.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice for strategic advantage: Liu Zheng repeatedly accepts the loss of individuals—Number 12, Number 10, and potentially Great Rooster—in order to gain information or improve his chances of winning.
• Deception and identity: The chapter emphasizes the danger of falsely claiming a special role, as well as the difficulty of determining who is genuinely a Seer, Witch, villager, or Werewolf.
• Manipulation of group behavior: Liu Zheng’s voting proposal succeeds because it appears logically optimal, allowing him to guide the villagers toward an outcome that may also benefit the Werewolves.
• Uncertainty and controlled chaos: Heavenly Punishment disrupts normal Werewolf strategy, while the forest’s shifting paths suggest that the game’s rules extend beyond ordinary voting.
• Survival versus morality: Liu Zheng’s pragmatic choices show that survival in this world requires abandoning sentiment and treating people—even companions—as tools when necessary.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng confronts and kills Number 12 through poison, judging him as an impostor.
• He persuades the group to execute Number 10 and thereby also banish Numbers 9 and 11 through the collective punishment rule.
• Liu Zheng scolds Great Rooster for making a mess while eating, leading to a brief comedic argument about the rooster’s missing master.
• Players 2 and 6 attempt to accompany or monitor Liu Zheng as he leaves the village.
• Liu Zheng evades the group and enters the forest with Great Rooster, only for an owl to abduct the rooster and trigger the next stage of his search.

Chapter Summary: “So Disgusting, Give Me More”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng follows an owl to a strange carnivorous plant resembling an enormous, opening “red rambutan.” The plant’s shell-like sections rhythmically contract and release sparkling fluid, apparently to attract prey.
• The owl communicates that its child has been swallowed by the plant and promises to release the Great Rooster if Liu Zheng rescues it. The Great Rooster, surprisingly, can understand the owl’s language.
• Liu Zheng approaches the plant and attempts negotiation, even offering the Great Rooster as compensation. The plant instead criticizes humans as “ugly” and demands that Liu Zheng tell it beautiful things.
• The plant recites a mysterious poem about clouds, wings, death, and the sky. Realizing that it desires poetry, Liu Zheng answers with several poetic passages about night, death, wildflowers, the prairie, and the moon.
• The surrounding plants react with mixed opinions at first, but become increasingly enthusiastic as Liu Zheng continues. Their excitement causes them to open and close violently and secrete more mucus.
• Satisfied with Liu Zheng’s poetry, the main plant releases the soaked baby owl. The adult owl immediately rescues its chick and flies away after telling the Great Rooster to wait.
• The Great Rooster offers Liu Zheng a large, wriggling insect as thanks, but Liu Zheng refuses. The rooster explains that its master eats insects directly and sometimes juices them and drinks the juice with him.
• The plants react with intense disgust—not toward eating insects, but toward two beings drinking the juice together. This reveals that the plants have unusual standards regarding what is disgusting.
• The plants then demand that Liu Zheng continue telling them disgusting stories. Liu Zheng realizes he can exploit their appetite for grotesque details and hints that he will trade such stories for further rewards.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates resourcefulness and adaptability. Rather than fighting the carnivorous plant, he identifies its interest in beauty and poetry and uses his literary knowledge to negotiate.
• He also shows a mischievous, opportunistic side when he realizes the plants enjoy disgusting information and prepares to bargain with them.
• The Great Rooster is established as unusually intelligent and capable of translating the owl’s speech. He remains irreverent and proudly describes his master’s extreme eating habits.
• The owl is portrayed as a protective parent, willing to cooperate with Liu Zheng and temporarily surrender the rooster to save its chick.
• The red rambutan-like plants develop as sentient, collective-minded beings with artistic tastes and strong emotional reactions. They appreciate poetry but are especially fascinated by bizarre or repulsive behavior.

Significant Themes

• Communication across species: Liu Zheng succeeds by discovering a shared form of expression—poetry—rather than relying on force.
• Beauty and disgust as subjective concepts: The plants consider poetry beautiful and insect-eating acceptable, but find shared insect juice revolting. Their standards challenge human assumptions about what is refined or disgusting.
• Art as a bargaining tool: Poetry becomes a practical means of survival and negotiation, demonstrating how creativity can accomplish what strength cannot.
• Humor through cultural misunderstanding: The chapter repeatedly contrasts human reactions with those of the plants and animals, especially regarding food, bodily fluids, and etiquette.
• Reciprocity and unconventional gratitude: The owl frees the rooster after Liu Zheng’s help, while the Great Rooster offers an insect as thanks, though Liu Zheng finds the gesture horrifying rather than generous.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Great Rooster work together to interpret the owl’s request, though the rooster’s comments frequently create comic tension.
• Liu Zheng negotiates directly with the red rambutan, shifting from attempted compensation to poetry once he learns what the plants want.
• The plants collectively judge and critique Liu Zheng’s poems, creating an unusual audience whose approval ultimately saves the baby owl.
• The Great Rooster’s description of his master’s eating habits provokes an outraged response from the plants, while Liu Zheng remains caught between disgust and disbelief.
• By the end, Liu Zheng recognizes that the plants’ fascination with “disgusting things” can be exploited, setting up a new negotiation and likely another absurd encounter.

Chapter Summary: “The Most Exciting Episode”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng tries to obtain information from the Red Rambutans about the villagers’ disappearance, but they refuse to understand or cooperate.
• He changes his request to winning the game and deliberately tells increasingly disgusting, misleading stories about intimacy with a neighbor and sister. His shamelessness horrifies the Rambutans, causing them to surrender and give him a reward.
• The Rambutans summon a corpse from beneath the ground: an elderly woman clutching a vial containing black flames intertwined with lightning.
• Liu Zheng retrieves the vial, which is identified by the game’s host as the God-Defying Elixir. If used, it will transform into a Divine Favor Card and drastically alter the victory conditions. Liu Zheng chooses to keep it unused.
• He finds a letter on the corpse. The old woman mourns the loss of her daughter, granddaughter, and family legacy, while declaring that “Morgana” is the family’s hope. She also demands the deaths of the Priest and Tyrant and apologizes to Forest Spirit and Nightingale for being unable to purify them.
• A hidden message on the letter reads, “Everyone deserves to die!!!” This makes Liu Zheng suspect that the old woman—or the forces connected to her—may have viewed everyone as an enemy.
• Liu Zheng asks the Rambutans to bury the woman. They comply only because he threatens them.
• He notices a deep wound on the back of the corpse’s head, likely caused by a sharp, heavy weapon such as an axe, suggesting that she was murdered.
• An owl returns and guides Liu Zheng and Great Rooster deeper into the forest.
• The forest becomes increasingly diseased and hostile. The plants are black, thorn-covered, and impale dead animals. The owl warns Liu Zheng to avoid them.
• The plants recoil from the God-Defying Elixir, some beginning to wither when he brings it near. Liu Zheng realizes the vial is extremely powerful and potentially dangerous.
• The owl leads them to a cave where Great Rooster senses his master. Before they can enter, a black creature emerges and grabs the rooster, preparing to bite his neck.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates considerable cunning and psychological flexibility. He weaponizes vulgarity and deception to manipulate the Rambutans into giving him information—or at least a valuable item.
• His discovery of the elixir deepens his importance in the game, since using it could radically change the rules and victory conditions. He prudently decides to save it.
• Liu Zheng becomes more suspicious and analytical as he connects the letter’s names—Morgana, Priest, Tyrant, Forest Spirit, and Nightingale—to the game’s factions and hidden history.
• He shows a small degree of compassion by arranging the old woman’s burial, though he still treats the situation pragmatically.
• The Red Rambutans are portrayed as disgusted, agitated, and frightened by Liu Zheng’s shameless behavior. They consider him unusually evil and prefer to avoid him.
• Great Rooster becomes increasingly excited when he detects his master, acting impulsively and forcing Liu Zheng to release him.
• The owl functions as a guide and warning presence, leading Liu Zheng toward the cave while alerting him to danger.
• The unnamed cave creature is introduced as an immediate threat, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and the nature of evil: Liu Zheng wins cooperation not through strength but by presenting himself as morally repulsive. The chapter humorously questions whether evil is defined by intent, behavior, or reputation.
• Hidden identities and fragmented history: The letter suggests complicated relationships among Morgana, the old woman, and several powerful figures. Liu Zheng’s possible connection to Morgana raises questions about his identity and past.
• The danger of power: The God-Defying Elixir is potentially capable of changing the entire game. Its effect on the diseased plants indicates that it may be extraordinarily destructive or purifying.
• Disease and corruption: The black, thorned plants and impaled animals symbolize a forest overwhelmed by sickness, violence, or supernatural contamination.
• Death and betrayal: The murdered old woman, her accusations against the Priest and Tyrant, and the cryptic statement that everyone deserves to die all suggest widespread betrayal and moral collapse.

Important Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and the Red Rambutans engage in a battle of wills, with Liu Zheng using outrageous stories to overwhelm their resistance.
• Liu Zheng interacts with the old woman’s corpse and gains the elixir and letter, uncovering clues about the game’s factions.
• He forces the Rambutans to bury the corpse by threatening them.
• The owl guides Liu Zheng while Great Rooster translates its warnings and later recognizes the presence of his master.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng and Great Rooster confronting a black cave creature, which attacks Great Rooster before the nature of the creature or the fate of the rooster is revealed.

Chapter Summary: The Truth of Wolfman Village

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Great Rooster is killed by the seemingly feral Wolfman, who immediately regains a trace of humanity and is devastated by what he has done.
• The Wolfman reveals himself as Yagor, the village Carpenter and Liu Zheng’s childhood companion. He identifies Liu Zheng as “Red Riding Hood,” suggesting that Liu’s current identity and memories are connected to the witch/Red Riding Hood figure.
• Yagor explains that Liu’s letter was forged by the priest, who supposedly wanted to manipulate Liu and eliminate him as a threat.
• Yagor distinguishes between:
  • Wolfmen, who are born with the ability to transform at will while retaining their minds.
  • Werewolves, who transform only during the full moon and lose their reason.
• He claims the priest used Yagor’s blood and dark magic to create the Wolf Plague Potion, infecting villagers and transforming them.
• Yagor became trapped in the forest while searching for Liu. Remaining in Wolfman form to survive the forest’s dark aura caused him to lose his sanity, ultimately leading him to kill his own family—the Great Rooster.
• Yagor describes the wider situation:
  • Tyrant, once a tiger and guardian of the forest, betrayed the other guards and allied with the priest to rule the forest.
  • The Forest Spirit, once the forest’s protector, has been corrupted by the priest’s dark influence.
  • Liu’s grandmother disappeared after the priest arrived and was likely killed.
  • The villagers supposedly left with the Hunter after conspiring with a wealthy merchant to sell the forest.
• Yagor reveals that Liu belongs to the powerful Morgana Clan, a witch bloodline capable of using both White Magic and Black Magic. Liu may be able to purify the Werewolves and Forest Spirit, while using Black Magic against Tyrant and the priest.
• Yagor urges Liu to flee with him, become stronger, and eventually return to take revenge and restore the forest.
• Liu recognizes contradictions in Yagor’s story, particularly his claim that he cannot read and his insistence that the letters were forged.
• The chapter ends with Liu confronting Yagor about the missing axe from his grandmother’s head, strongly implying that Yagor may know more about her death—or may have been involved.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng becomes increasingly suspicious and analytical. Rather than accepting Yagor’s explanation, he tests his claims and notices inconsistencies involving the letters, literacy, and the identities of village factions.
• Yagor/the Carpenter is revealed to be a tragic but unreliable figure. He genuinely mourns the Great Rooster and appears to care for Liu, yet his memory, sanity, and honesty are questionable. His evasiveness suggests he is concealing important truths.
• The Great Rooster is shown to have shared a close bond with Yagor, addressing him as “Master.” Its final peck seems to awaken Yagor’s remaining humanity.
• The Priest is portrayed as the central manipulator behind the plague, the corruption of the forest, and possibly the destruction of Liu’s family.
• Liu’s grandmother becomes more significant as a possible victim of the priest and as the owner of the missing axe.
• The villagers are revealed to be morally compromised, having assisted the priest in corrupting the Forest Spirit for financial gain.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus deception: Nearly every major revelation is filtered through uncertain testimony, and Liu must determine which parts of Yagor’s story are true.
• Memory and identity: Liu’s amnesia and Yagor’s damaged sanity make both characters unsure of their pasts and relationships.
• Corruption: The priest corrupts individuals, the villagers, the Forest Spirit, and even the natural order of the forest through greed and dark magic.
• Humanity versus monstrosity: Yagor’s Wolfman nature contrasts with the supposedly human villagers, whose greed and betrayal make them morally monstrous.
• Inheritance and bloodlines: The Morgana Clan’s magical heritage and the village’s Wolfman ancestry shape the characters’ powers, responsibilities, and conflicts.
• Guilt and redemption: Yagor’s grief over killing the Great Rooster and his desire to restore the village suggest a wish to redeem himself, though his hidden actions may complicate that goal.
• Greed versus protection: The villagers’ agreement to sell the forest contrasts with Yagor’s desire to preserve his ancestral home.

Important Character Interactions

• Yagor and the Great Rooster: Their master-and-companion relationship ends tragically when Yagor kills it while in a feral state. The rooster’s final gesture helps restore Yagor’s consciousness.
• Yagor and Liu: Yagor treats Liu as a childhood companion and urges him to escape together, but Liu remains distrustful and demands the truth.
• Liu and Yagor over the letters: Liu exposes inconsistencies in Yagor’s account, suggesting Yagor himself may have written the letters.
• Yagor and the Priest: Yagor claims the priest stole his blood, created the plague, manipulated the villagers, and sought to eliminate both him and Liu.
• Liu and the absent villagers: Liu learns that the villagers may have supported the priest for profit, deepening his view that the entire village is corrupt.
• Liu and Yagor at the conclusion: Liu’s question about the missing axe shifts the conversation from Yagor’s broad accusations to a personal crime, placing Yagor directly under suspicion.

Chapter Summary: “You Should Be Written Off”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Zheng confronts Carpenter, deducing that he murdered Red Riding Hood’s grandmother by attacking her from behind after gaining her trust.
• Carpenter confesses that he killed her because she opposed his relationship with Liu Zheng. She believed combining werewolf and witch bloodlines would destroy both powers, while Carpenter wanted Liu immediately and refused to wait.
• Carpenter transforms into a werewolf and attacks Liu. In response, Liu uses the God-Defying Elixir, triggering a major game-rule change.
• The elixir transforms Liu into a berserk version of Morgana, granting him immense destructive power but guaranteeing his death after one hour.
• The rules are altered: if the Witch dies, the other players win; if all other players die, the Witch wins.
• Carpenter attacks Liu, but Liu’s new body consists of black flames and lightning rather than ordinary flesh. He creates a weapon from his own rib, turning it into a flaming bone spear.
• Liu impales Carpenter’s eye and later skull, condemning him for lust, betrayal, selfishness, and failing to protect either Liu or the village. Carpenter is burned to ash.
• Liu also burns Great Rooster’s corpse with Carpenter’s remains, symbolically erasing the distinction between them and acknowledging their connection.
• Liu transforms into a destructive hurricane of fire and lightning, purifying the forest while causing new life to sprout beneath the ashes.
• At the village, new Divine Favor Cards are revealed:
  • The Seer gains the power to command werewolves.
  • The Hunter receives advanced weapons.
  • The Werewolves gain triple physical strength from the Blood Full Moon.
• Liu discovers the identities and positions of the remaining players: the Seer is the black-robed priest, the Hunter controls a tank and heavy weapons, and two players have fully transformed into werewolves.
• He labels the remaining players with sins—Pride, Gluttony, and Greed—and prepares to annihilate the entire village.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng fully embraces his role as the Witch and as an actor within the murder-mystery game. Rather than simply fighting, he turns Carpenter’s death into a dramatic judgment.
• His use of the God-Defying Elixir marks a transformation from a fragile, calculating player into a near-unstoppable but self-destructive force.
• Liu becomes more ruthless, accepting that survival requires killing the remaining players before his one-hour limit expires.
• Carpenter is revealed as possessive and morally corrupted. His love for Liu is genuine in his mind but expressed through murder, coercion, and selfish impatience.
• Carpenter’s ideals of protecting Liu and improving the village are exposed as empty because he allowed others to destroy the village while pursuing his own desires.
• Great Rooster receives a final gesture of respect from Liu, who burns his body alongside Carpenter’s ashes.
• The remaining players are revealed to have concealed powerful cards and identities, showing that they had been planning against one another from the beginning.

Significant Themes

• Love corrupted by possessiveness: Carpenter claims to love Liu, but his actions—murdering Liu’s grandmother and forcing Liu to use a deadly elixir—show that his love is fundamentally selfish.
• Destruction and rebirth: Liu’s black flames devastate the forest, yet new growth emerges from the ashes, suggesting that destruction can also create the conditions for renewal.
• Performance and improvisation: Liu recognizes that the game is not merely Werewolf but a murder-mystery role-playing performance. He uses theatrical judgment and dramatic symbolism to influence the “director.”
• Power and self-destruction: The God-Defying Elixir gives Liu overwhelming power while ensuring his death, emphasizing that absolute power comes at an unavoidable cost.
• Judgment and sin: Liu frames Carpenter’s death as punishment for Lust and identifies the remaining players with Pride, Gluttony, and Greed.
• Hidden identities and betrayal: The players have concealed their roles and Divine Favor Cards, reinforcing the chapter’s atmosphere of deception and strategic manipulation.

Character Interactions

• Liu and Carpenter’s confrontation shifts from accusation to confession and finally to execution. Carpenter declares his desire for Liu, while Liu rejects both his affection and his justification for murder.
• Liu invokes Carpenter’s failures directly, accusing him of betraying the person who loved Liu most, endangering Liu’s life, and abandoning the village.
• Sea Woman applauds Liu’s performance, confirming his realization that the game rewards dramatic, immersive action.
• Liu’s final confrontation with the Seer, Hunter, and transformed Werewolves is framed as a theatrical announcement of their impending deaths rather than a conventional battle.

Chapter Summary: “Something Was Very, Very Wrong”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Werewolf launches a devastating attack with the rocket launcher, igniting the sky and empowering himself. His wind blades tear through the burning clouds.
• The priest protects all the players with golden holy light as the fiery clouds consume the village. Liu Zheng survives but is reduced to a weakened, charred outline.
• Rather than attack Liu Zheng, the priest orders everyone to flee, intending to wait for Liu Zheng to self-destruct. The priest, Werewolf, hunter, and wolf pack attempt to escape.
• Player Seven suddenly uses a paintbrush to stab herself, triggering an announcement that she has obtained the Divine Favor Card “Draw the Ground as a Prison.”
• The announcement reveals that Player Seven is the Guard and may either help the Witch or kill the Witch. If she helps, the Witch must be the last survivor; if she kills, she must personally deliver the killing blow.
• Player Seven reveals her true identity as Nightingale, a member of the Morgana Family. She explains her jealousy of Red Riding Hood/Liu Zheng, who surpassed her in witchcraft despite having less time to train.
• Nightingale transforms the paintbrush into a blood-forged cross sword and creates a massive prison of crimson swords around the village, preventing the other players from escaping.
• Liu Zheng transforms into blood-and-gunpowder flames resembling the Red Ghost and burns the trapped priest, Werewolf, and hunter to ashes.
• The Forest Spirit watches from the forest, apparently waiting for Red Riding Hood to release it, but Liu Zheng has no time to do so. The game ends with a hat-shaped mark left on the bloody cross.
• At dawn, the players return to the game room. The Witch faction is declared victorious, with Players Eight and Seven receiving the win.
• Sea Woman explains that Liu Zheng failed to achieve the ultimate ending, which would have required eliminating the Forest Spirit, the Tyrant, and the Merchant Guild as well.
• Liu Zheng receives the right to choose a reward for achieving the God-Defying ending. He first asks for the God-Defying Elixir, but Sea Woman refuses because it requires the perfect ending. He then requests the priest’s invincible holy light.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng/Red Riding Hood: Fully embraces his destructive Witch power, destroys the opposing players, and achieves the rare God-Defying ending. He remains opportunistic and irreverent, immediately trying to claim the most powerful available rewards.
• Player Seven/Nightingale: Reveals herself as the hidden Guard and one of the chapter’s most important players. Her actions are driven by deep jealousy and resentment toward Red Riding Hood, but she ultimately assists him by trapping and sacrificing the other players.
• Nightingale and Red Riding Hood: Their relationship is revealed to be rooted in rivalry, envy, and a shared history within the Morgana Family. Nightingale sees herself as both Red Riding Hood’s rival and the guardian who helped create his path to greatness.
• The Priest, Werewolf, and Hunter: Their earlier cooperation and defensive strategy fail once Nightingale seals the village. Their attempts to break through the barrier are ineffective, and they are burned alive by Liu Zheng.
• Sea Woman: Acts as the game’s host and evaluator. She admires Liu Zheng’s performance but withholds information about the perfect ending and seems unusually familiar or affectionate toward Nightingale.

Significant Themes

• Jealousy and ambition: Nightingale’s envy drives her transformation and her decision to seize control of the game. She refuses to remain a supporting figure while Red Riding Hood becomes a Grand Witch.
• Hidden identities and shifting alliances: Player Seven’s Guard identity is concealed until the decisive moment, demonstrating that apparent roles and alliances cannot be trusted.
• Performance and spectacle: The battle is described as a “stage play,” with Nightingale and Liu Zheng competing for narrative dominance. Liu Zheng humorously resents Nightingale for “stealing the scene.”
• Power at a cost: The God-Defying Elixir and other abilities offer overwhelming strength but carry severe limitations or consequences. Liu Zheng is willing to accept those costs for greater power.
• Incomplete victory: Although the Witch faction wins and Liu Zheng achieves the God-Defying ending, the chapter emphasizes that victory is not absolute. The ultimate and perfect endings remain beyond his reach.
• Suspicion and hidden connections: Liu Zheng senses that something is “very, very wrong” between Sea Woman and Nightingale, suggesting a deeper relationship or conspiracy behind the game.

Important Character Interactions

• The priest protects the entire group with holy light, then orders them to retreat instead of attacking Liu Zheng.
• Nightingale directly addresses Red Riding Hood, accusing him of surpassing her and stealing the recognition she believes she deserves.
• Nightingale’s barrier forces Liu Zheng and the opposing players into a final confrontation, effectively giving Liu Zheng the opportunity to eliminate them.
• Liu Zheng notices the Forest Spirit but cannot fulfill the apparent promise to release it before the game ends.
• Sea Woman praises Liu Zheng’s exceptional performance and explains the conditions of the higher endings.
• Nightingale demands recognition for her contribution, prompting Sea Woman to acknowledge her power.
• Liu Zheng’s suspicions intensify when he notices the strangely familiar, almost doting tone Sea Woman uses toward Nightingale.

Chapter Summary

Plot and Events

• Sea Woman rewards Liu Zheng with the Dark Bible, a single-use item that grants immunity to all damage, control, and negative effects for one second, though the user cannot act during that time.
• As Sea Woman prepares to leave with Player Seven, Liu Zheng asks to play another game with her. Player Seven insists that Liu Zheng must defeat him first to earn Sea Woman’s approval.
• Liu Zheng considers several possible competitions but rejects tabletop games and the many other activities Player Seven excels at.
• To gain an advantage, Liu Zheng suggests food delivery, but Player Seven refuses, revealing that he cannot compete in it.
• Player Seven tries to recruit Liu Zheng to his planned tabletop-game bar, offering higher pay and Sea Woman’s presence. Liu Zheng declines because he distrusts Player Seven and prefers the relative familiarity and strategic value of Bloodstained Restaurant.
• Player Seven explains that he plans to introduce Kingkiller Chess, an addictive game originating from the dangerous Chaos Club. He claims to have obtained it through special connections because other establishments fear trouble from City Hall.
• With time running out, Liu Zheng uses Sea Woman as inspiration and finally proposes that they compete in fishing.

Character Development

• Liu Zheng demonstrates caution, improvisation, and self-awareness. Although he is attracted to Sea Woman, he recognizes that competing directly with Player Seven would be dangerous and searches for an activity where he might have an advantage.
• He also shows practical loyalty to Bloodstained Restaurant, refusing Player Seven’s tempting offer because changing allegiances could expose him to unknown dangers and undermine his plans.
• Player Seven is revealed as confident, versatile, manipulative, and well-connected. He sees Liu Zheng as inferior but respects his boldness and attempts to recruit him rather than simply dismissing him.
• Sea Woman remains amused and actively encourages the competition, making Liu Zheng prove himself before she will entertain his advances.
• Liu Zheng’s thoughts highlight his discomfort with the bizarre social norms of the residents and his fear of losing his remaining human values.

Themes

• Survival through adaptability: Liu Zheng cannot win through conventional talent, so he searches for an unusual competition that may neutralize Player Seven’s advantages.
• Trust and self-preservation: Player Seven’s generous employment offer may conceal ulterior motives, emphasizing the danger of accepting help in this world.
• Competition and social status: Liu Zheng must prove himself against Player Seven, whose wealth, talent, connections, and relationship with Sea Woman give him overwhelming advantages.
• Corruption and danger beneath entertainment: Kingkiller Chess appears to be a harmless game, but its origin in Chaos Club suggests that entertainment in this world can carry serious supernatural risks.
• Humor amid horror: The chapter treats threats involving demons, murder, seduction, and Chaos Club with absurd banter and exaggerated internal commentary.

Important Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Sea Woman: Liu Zheng openly admits that he wants to pursue her. She responds playfully but makes him defeat Player Seven first.
• Liu Zheng and Player Seven: Their flirtatious rivalry becomes a challenge match. Player Seven mocks Liu Zheng but appreciates his courage, while Liu Zheng distrusts him and refuses his recruitment offer.
• Player Seven and Sea Woman: Player Seven appears to be Sea Woman’s partner or protector, and her approval is tied to Liu Zheng’s ability to overcome him.
• The chapter ends with Liu Zheng choosing fishing as the contest, setting up the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “A Person Can't Stand Firm Without Going Mad”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sea Woman rejects Liu Zheng’s attempt to intervene on Fisherman’s behalf and questions who sent him. Liu admits that Fisherman—her estranged father—asked him to persuade her.
• Sea Woman bitterly condemns Fisherman for abandoning her and sending her mother to a garbage-processing plant. Liu’s blunt comment about Fisherman being “skinny” briefly defuses the tension.
• Liu proposes a fishing match with Sea Woman: if he loses, she can have him killed through the restaurant’s delivery system; if he wins, she must deal with Fisherman and prevent him from interfering further. Sea Woman accepts.
• Because the match cannot happen immediately, Liu delivers Fisherman’s order: a sour fish-and-vegetable dish that restores stamina and temporarily increases Strength and Constitution.
• Sea Woman initially refuses the food, but Player Seven—now calling herself “Nightingale”—persuades her to accept it, claiming Fisherman’s interference will end afterward.
• Liu and Nightingale agree to compete in a custom tabletop game based on Three Kingdoms Kill, renamed as an “Anomaly Kill”-type game. Nightingale demands exclusive rights if she wins.
• Before Liu leaves, Nightingale removes her mask, revealing a striking appearance. Liu recognizes her as “Blondie,” apparently connected to Fisherman and Sea Woman’s past.
• Nightingale offers Liu a job and reveals that she senses the aura of the Chaos Club around him. She sees his connection to the organization as a potentially lucrative opportunity despite the danger.
• Sea Woman criticizes Nightingale’s willingness to deal with Chaos Club, but Nightingale argues that survival and success require ruthlessness. The chapter ends with Sea Woman reacting helplessly to Nightingale’s sudden intimacy or teasing.

Character Developments

• Liu Zheng demonstrates increasing confidence and resourcefulness. Rather than fighting Fisherman directly, he exploits agreements, delivery rules, and social relationships to negotiate with Sea Woman.
• Sea Woman is shown to harbor intense resentment toward Fisherman for his neglect and manipulation. Although hostile at first, she accepts the food and agrees to Liu’s proposed contest, suggesting she may still be willing to cooperate under the right conditions.
• Nightingale/Player Seven emerges as clever, opportunistic, and commercially ambitious. She quickly understands the value of Liu’s game idea and senses his connection to the dangerous Chaos Club.
• Fisherman remains offscreen but exerts strong influence. His concern for Sea Woman is portrayed as controlling and hypocritical rather than genuinely paternal.
• The apparent connection between Nightingale, Blondie, and Sea Woman introduces further personal history and suggests that Fisherman deliberately disrupted their relationships.

Significant Themes

• Family dysfunction and resentment: Sea Woman’s anger reflects the damage caused by Fisherman’s neglect and attempts to control her life from a distance.
• Rules, causality, and negotiation: In this world, agreements and the logic of delivery orders have real power. Liu survives by using rules creatively instead of relying solely on violence.
• Ruthlessness as survival: Nightingale argues that remaining sane, cautious, or moral in a dangerous society may lead to being exploited or destroyed.
• Commerce and exploitation: Food, games, jobs, and even personal favors are treated as transactions. Characters constantly calculate risks, costs, and potential profit.
• Identity and secrecy: Masks, aliases, and invented names are common, reflecting a world where trust is scarce and personal identity can be dangerous.
• Madness and ambition: The title’s idea is embodied by Nightingale, who believes that extraordinary danger requires extraordinary boldness—or even a willingness to appear insane.

Character Interactions

• Liu Zheng and Sea Woman: Their hostile negotiation gradually becomes a conditional partnership. Liu challenges her defensiveness while offering a practical way to escape Fisherman’s interference.
• Liu Zheng and Nightingale: Their exchange is playful but transactional. They bond over the invented tabletop game, while Nightingale begins evaluating Liu as a potentially valuable employee or business partner.
• Sea Woman and Fisherman: Though Fisherman never appears, their relationship dominates the scene. Sea Woman views him as an absentee father whose concern is possessive and hypocritical.
• Sea Woman and Nightingale: Their interaction reveals familiarity and possible romantic or emotionally charged history. Sea Woman distrusts Nightingale’s recklessness, while Nightingale remains intrigued by danger and opportunity.