Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Dragonization Disease”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nameless investigates a group of prisoners who appear human but are undergoing severe physical and mental changes. Their pupils have become slit-like, they breathe vapor, and their violent instincts are overpowering their human reason.
• When Nameless mentions Long Xiu, the prisoners react with extreme anger, suggesting that Long Xiu is connected to their imprisonment or suffering.
• Nameless returns to Lin Renmei and explains that he has located Long Xiu’s family. They speculate that the prisoners may have been used in experiments, but Nameless rejects the idea because Long Xiu has enough authority and resources to obtain other test subjects.
• Nameless decides to investigate the matter for the next two days and attempt to rescue the prisoners if possible, while keeping escape as a fallback plan.
• That night, explosions and red light come from the City Lord’s Manor. A massive red dragon emerges from the building, roaring about “rebirth” and “freedom.”
• Fearing that the dragon will rampage through Dragonblood City, Nameless and Lin Renmei intervene. Lin Renmei knocks the dragon unconscious with a single punch.
• Long Xiu is found at the scene and reveals that the dragon is actually Dragonblood City’s City Lord.
• The next morning, Long Xiu explains that the City Lord suffers from a terminal condition called Dragonization Disease. The disease has consumed the City Lord’s consciousness, leaving only his dragon-like instincts. Long Xiu claims he only recently learned the truth from the Deputy City Lord, Long Tu.

Character Developments

• Nameless continues to show compassion and responsibility despite his cautious attitude. He is willing to risk involvement in Dragonblood City’s problems to save the imprisoned victims, but recognizes the danger and remains prepared to leave.
• Lin Renmei demonstrates her trust in Nameless and her willingness to follow his decisions. Her immense strength is again emphasized when she defeats the rampaging dragon with one punch.
• Long Xiu becomes increasingly suspicious. His close connection to the imprisoned people and his apparent knowledge of the City Lord’s condition raise questions about how much he has concealed. He also appears burdened by the crisis and focused on controlling public panic.
• The City Lord is revealed not to have been replaced, as previously suspected, but to be suffering from a disease that has transformed him physically and mentally.

Significant Themes

• Humanity versus instinct: The prisoners and the City Lord retain traces of human consciousness, but their biological instincts have begun overpowering their reason.
• Disease, transformation, and loss of identity: Dragonization Disease turns people into dragon-like beings and threatens to erase their personalities entirely.
• Secrecy and political power: Long Xiu’s high status allows him to hide or control information, making his true involvement uncertain.
• Moral responsibility: Nameless must decide whether to interfere in a dangerous situation or leave as planned, balancing compassion with the safety of his team.
• Freedom and imprisonment: The dragon’s cry of “rebirth” and “freedom” contrasts with the prisoners’ confinement and suggests that the transformations may be connected to a larger struggle.

Character Interactions

• Nameless questions the imprisoned victims, provoking a furious reaction when he mentions Long Xiu.
• He and Lin Renmei discuss whether Long Xiu has been experimenting on his family and agree to investigate cautiously.
• Nameless warns Lin Renmei that Long Xiu may soon make his move; she expresses confidence that Nameless will try to help the victims.
• During the dragon’s rampage, Lin Renmei physically subdues it while Nameless confronts Long Xiu and demands an explanation.
• At breakfast the following morning, Long Xiu gives Nameless and Lin Renmei a partial explanation of Dragonblood City’s situation, revealing the City Lord’s illness while claiming that the Deputy City Lord provided the information.

Chapter Summary: Life Codex

Key Plot Points and Events

• Long Xiu explains that Dragonization Disease is a recent, unexplained illness affecting Dragonkin, but Nameless immediately recognizes that he is lying.
• While exploring Dragonblood City with Lin Renmei and their young guide, Long Yuer, Nameless secretly sends part of his Nether Mist underground into the City Lord’s Manor.
• He discovers a hidden passage leading to Long Xiu and several Dragonkin leaders discussing the true source of the disease.
• They reveal that the disease is connected to the Dragon Bones and Marrow buried beneath the city. The dragons are not entirely dead and are attempting to resurrect themselves through Dragonkin.
• The leaders also discuss the Life Codex, a mysterious book once used in an attempt to reach the legendary True Dragon Rank, equivalent to a Transcender.
• Lord Long Tu theorizes that the dragons’ failed or successful transformations caused the current crisis, and that Dragonkin with purer bloodlines are more vulnerable to Dragonization Disease.
• The group concludes that only someone who reaches the True Dragon Rank may be able to stop the disease. Since the city lord has already failed, they decide to have the injured Third Brother Long study the Life Codex.
• The book is retrieved from a stone box hidden within an old man’s body. Its appearance creates an eerie atmosphere, as though unseen beings are observing them.
• Nameless recognizes the book’s writing as incomplete Base Runes, whose constantly changing forms make them difficult to interpret.
• Third Brother Long cannot understand the Codex as Nameless does. Instead, the runes overwhelm him, and his body suddenly splits in two, producing a new version of himself.

Character Developments

• Nameless demonstrates his growing suspicion and strategic intelligence. He sees through Long Xiu’s deception, investigates secretly, and realizes that the Dragonkin leaders are treating him and Lin Renmei as potential weapons against the city lord.
• He also reveals greater understanding of the Life Codex, recognizing its writing as incomplete Base Runes—knowledge that sets him apart from the Dragonkin.
• Lin Renmei notices Nameless’s absence when he divides his consciousness, but conceals her reaction and continues behaving normally.
• Long Xiu is shown to be burdened by leadership responsibilities and deeply concerned about the city’s survival. He wants to study the Codex again but is prevented from doing so because of the danger.
• Lord Long Tu provides the key theory connecting the Life Codex, the dragons beneath the city, and Dragonization Disease.
• Third Brother Long displays willingness to sacrifice himself for Dragonblood City, accepting the danger of the Codex despite his injuries. His apparent transformation or duplication becomes the chapter’s cliffhanger.
• Long Yuer is introduced as an energetic, knowledgeable seventeen-year-old guide who contrasts with the secretive and grim adults around her.

Significant Themes

• Deception and hidden motives: Long Xiu conceals the real cause of Dragonization Disease, while Nameless investigates without revealing that he knows the truth.
• The price of power: The Dragonkin knowingly pursued greater strength through the Life Codex, and the disease may be the cost of that ambition.
• Inheritance and corruption: Those with purer dragon bloodlines are apparently more susceptible to being overtaken by the dragons beneath the city.
• Knowledge as danger: The Life Codex contains powerful knowledge, but studying it can kill, transform, or otherwise destroy the reader.
• Sacrifice for survival: The Dragonkin understand that saving their city may require someone to risk death or irreversible transformation.
• Uncertain identity and transformation: The dragons’ attempts to resurrect themselves through Dragonkin blur the boundary between human, Dragonkin, and dragon.

Character Interactions

• Lin Renmei questions Long Xiu about the disease, exposing the inconsistency between the Dragonkin’s name and their supposed lack of connection to dragons.
• Long Xiu and Nameless exchange guarded conversation, with Long Xiu offering a false explanation and Nameless silently recognizing the deception.
• Long Yuer guides Nameless and Lin Renmei through the city, providing historical information while remaining unaware of the hidden crisis.
• In the underground chamber, Long Xiu consults Lord Long Tu and other elders about the disease and the Life Codex.
• The elders oppose letting Long Xiu study the Codex because Dragonblood City cannot afford to lose another leader.
• Third Brother Long volunteers despite his injuries, accepting the possibility that he may lose control.
• Nameless watches the experiment closely and nearly intervenes, but Third Brother Long transforms before he can act.

Chapter Summary: Immortality Method

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nameless appraises the transformed “Brother Long San” and discovers that he is actually Dugu Xingwai, a human Transcender with a lifespan of ten thousand years and an extraordinarily powerful literary-and-martial cultivation system.
• Dugu’s abilities center on writing and fate manipulation. His most significant treasures and techniques include the Life Codex, which records living beings and allows him to determine their fate, and Writing Reflects the Writer, which enables him to manipulate a target after writing their name.
• Dugu reveals that the Extraterrestrial Stone Tablet was not something from beyond the planet; it was connected to him personally.
• When the group realizes that “Long San” has been replaced or transformed, they attempt to restrain Dugu and seize the Life Codex. Dugu effortlessly controls one attacker’s actions, forcing him to strike another, demonstrating that this is not madness but deliberate manipulation of fate.
• Dugu reshapes his own face and appearance, abandoning Long San’s identity. He also changes his hair into a silver, star-filled form.
• Long Tu attacks Dugu with a powerful dragon claw, but an invisible force blocks the blow. After hearing Dugu’s explanation, Long Tu and Long Xiu recognize the danger and flee.
• Dugu chooses not to pursue or kill them, revealing that his objective is not indiscriminate slaughter. Instead, he seeks to break through the Transcender realm and discover whether a realm beyond it exists.
• Nameless emerges from hiding and questions Dugu about his intentions and humanity. Dugu insists that he still considers himself human and calmly asks whether he may leave.

Character Developments

• Dugu Xingwai: Revealed as an immensely powerful Transcender who has mastered fate manipulation. Rather than using his powers only against enemies, he has used the Life Codex to control his own destiny, effectively creating a method of self-reincarnation. His chosen fate is to pursue immortality, transcendence, and ultimate supremacy across countless lives.
• Nameless: Demonstrates caution and strong analytical judgment. He realizes Dugu is not necessarily hostile and correctly infers that Dugu had no reason to kill Long Tu or Long Xiu. Nameless also compares Dugu to Apophis and judges Apophis to be the greater threat.
• Long Tu: Initially responds aggressively, but once he understands Dugu’s true identity and abilities, he sacrifices an arm to escape.
• Long Xiu: Reacts quickly and flees almost immediately, recognizing the danger before the others.
• The surrounding group: Their fear and confusion reveal how completely Dugu’s transformation has disrupted their assumptions about Long San.

Significant Themes

• Self-determined fate: Dugu’s central philosophy is that everyone possesses a fate, but only a few can control it. His Life Codex allows him to impose destiny on others and, most importantly, on himself.
• Immortality through recurrence: Dugu’s “Immortality Method” is based on ensuring that the Life Codex survives and can be read by future beings. Through it, he can be reborn repeatedly, gaining endless opportunities to pursue higher realms.
• Identity and humanity: Dugu changes his body and abandons the identity of Long San, prompting Nameless to question whether he remains human. Dugu insists that power and self-reinvention have not erased his humanity.
• Power versus morality: Although Dugu possesses overwhelming power, he does not automatically kill those who oppose or fear him. He views ordinary beings as insignificant unless they obstruct his path, presenting a detached but controlled morality.
• Fear as evidence of life: Dugu argues that fear is natural and rational, claiming that those incapable of fear have already died. This reflects his belief that survival depends on recognizing overwhelming power and acting accordingly.
• Transcendence and endless ambition: Dugu’s goal extends beyond mere survival. His true ambition is to surpass the Transcender realm and determine whether anything exists beyond the known limits of power.

Character Interactions

• The group surrounding Long San confronts Dugu after sensing that something is wrong, but Dugu immediately establishes dominance through fate manipulation.
• Dugu humiliates the would-be attacker by forcing him to strike his companion, turning the group’s attempt at restraint into proof of his control.
• Long Tu attacks directly, but Dugu effortlessly blocks him and explains the function of the Life Codex, prompting Long Tu and Long Xiu to flee.
• Nameless and Dugu engage in a cautious philosophical exchange. Nameless questions Dugu’s goals and humanity, while Dugu answers openly but subtly warns that Nameless’s question could have dangerous consequences.
• The chapter ends with Dugu maintaining a polite, almost playful tone despite his overwhelming superiority, asking Nameless—whom he calls a “righteous man”—whether he may leave.

Chapter Summary: “Dragon Disaster”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Xingwai leaves after his encounter with Nameless, who does not demand compensation for Dragon Third Brother’s death because Dragon Third Brother had accepted that possibility after consulting the Catalog of Life.
• On the journey back, Nameless reflects on Dugu Xingwai’s creative use of abilities. He realizes that, as his own powers multiplied, he had stopped experimenting with and appreciating them as he once did.
• Nameless returns to Lin Renmei and shares his memories of meeting Dugu Xingwai through Information Control. Lin Renmei suggests killing Dugu, but Nameless refuses because:
  • The Dugu Xingwai who destroyed another world may not be the same individual.
  • The Catalog of Life and the Extraterrestrial Stone Tablets remain difficult to destroy.
  • Dugu can reincarnate and possesses the power of fate, making him extremely difficult to eliminate.
• While Lin Renmei and Long Yuer enjoy Dragonblood City’s food and later return to the manor, Long Xiu appears troubled.
• A sudden series of explosions reveals that dragons are transforming or awakening throughout the city. A red dragon attacks a house, a Blue Steel Giant Dragon emerges from ruins, and a plesiosaur-like dragon rises from the manor’s lake and attacks Long Xiu with water blasts.
• Long Xiu recalls the history of the Catalog of Life. He and others once studied it in hopes of curing dragon transformation disease, but instead revived a monster within it. They used a massive dragon-severing stone to trap the creature, though they are unsure whether it escaped.
• Nameless orders Lin Renmei to subdue the dragons without killing them. She knocks out the lake dragon with a precisely controlled punch, demonstrating the destructive potential of her Bioforce Field.
• Nameless examines the unconscious creature through Information Control. He detects chaotic ice, vital, and earth-vein energies, but no evidence of spiritual possession or True Dragon revival.
• Dugu Xingwai unexpectedly appears behind Nameless. Nameless suspects he may have come to deny responsibility for the disaster, but Dugu instead introduces himself formally and begins questioning Nameless.
• The chapter ends with both men examining the unconscious dragon while Nameless waits for Dugu’s explanation.

Character Developments

• Nameless: Becomes more introspective, recognizing that his growing power has made him careless and emotionally detached from his abilities. He also displays caution and restraint by refusing to kill Dugu Xingwai without certainty and by ordering the dragons captured rather than slain.
• Dugu Xingwai: Remains mysterious, calm, and playful. His sudden appearance during the crisis suggests he may know more about the dragon disaster, though his actual involvement remains uncertain.
• Lin Renmei: Acts decisively and follows Nameless’s instructions. Her precise use of overwhelming strength shows her increasing control and effectiveness.
• Long Xiu: Reveals his troubled history with the Catalog of Life and his connection to the original attempts to cure dragon transformation disease. The disaster clearly reopens his guilt and fear over the monster they may have unleashed.
• Long Yuer: Serves as a source of warmth and normalcy early in the chapter, enjoying the city’s food with Lin Renmei before the crisis begins.

Significant Themes

• Power and complacency: Nameless realizes that easy access to abilities has weakened his curiosity and appreciation for them.
• Uncertainty and identity: The chapter questions whether different incarnations of Dugu Xingwai are truly the same person and explores Nameless’s own lost identity.
• Consequences of forbidden knowledge: The Catalog of Life was studied to solve dragon transformation disease but instead produced catastrophe, emphasizing the danger of pursuing power without understanding it.
• Restraint versus destruction: Despite the scale of the disaster, Nameless and Lin Renmei attempt to subdue rather than kill the transformed dragons.
• Fate and recurrence: Dugu’s reincarnation ability and power over fate suggest that death may not provide a permanent solution to threats.

Character Interactions

• Nameless and Lin Renmei discuss whether Dugu Xingwai should be killed, establishing their cautious approach to him.
• Lin Renmei and Long Yuer share a friendly meal before the crisis interrupts their leisure.
• Nameless questions Long Xiu about his troubled mood, but Long Xiu initially avoids answering.
• Long Xiu confronts the attacking dragons and recalls his past involvement with the Catalog of Life.
• Nameless directs Lin Renmei during the emergency, while she demonstrates trust and control by neutralizing the lake dragon.
• Nameless and Dugu Xingwai exchange formal introductions and philosophical remarks about their names and identities. Their conversation ends with Dugu poised to explain the dragon disaster.

Chapter Summary: “Fafnir”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Xingwai explains that the people responsible for Dragonblood City’s disaster obtained the Life Codex and performed several rituals, including the Dragon-Calling True Method.
• The ritual went wrong: while it awakened dragon power in the participants, it also connected that power to the remains of a True Dragon buried beneath the city, causing the dragon to begin resurrecting.
• Dugu claims the only way to reverse the disaster is to kill the resurrected True Dragon. Digging it out from beneath the entire city would be dangerous, so Nameless proposes tunneling underground and destroying it before it emerges.
• Dugu initially tries to leave after “proving” his innocence, but Nameless suspects him and asks him to remain. Their exchange nearly becomes hostile until Lin Renmei arrives, ready to subdue Dugu.
• Dugu reveals that there is more than one Life Codex, making it difficult to eliminate or permanently contain him. Nameless therefore allows him to stay and observe the situation.
• Long Xiu joins them and agrees that Dragonblood City will fully cooperate. The city’s dragon-transformed residents are chained and confined in the central square, since killing the underground True Dragon might restore them, but failure could require their execution.
• A group of powerful Dragonkin begins digging a tunnel from the docks toward the True Dragon’s location. Their abilities—such as freezing water and consuming earth—allow them to construct the passage rapidly.
• Once the tunnel is stabilized, Nameless, Lin Renmei, Long Xiu, Dugu Xingwai, and the others enter it to confront the resurrecting dragon.

Character Developments

• Nameless demonstrates caution and strategic thinking. He does not fully trust Dugu Xingwai, but he prioritizes cooperation over provoking an unnecessary fight.
• Dugu Xingwai attempts to clear his name while maintaining his independence. His evasiveness and the revelation of multiple Life Codices preserve the mystery surrounding him and make him difficult to control.
• Lin Renmei continues to display overwhelming strength, having previously knocked out the Plesiosaur with one punch. She is direct, perceptive, and openly distrustful of Dugu.
• Long Xiu becomes more committed to protecting Dragonblood City. He recognizes that inviting Nameless and Lin Renmei was crucial to containing the crisis and pledges the city’s full support.
• The Dragonkin of the city unite to solve a catastrophe caused by their own people, showing practical cooperation despite the severity of the situation.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and redemption: The outsiders help Dragonblood City because innocent people are at risk, even though the disaster originated within the city.
• Trust and suspicion: Nameless must work with Dugu despite doubting his account, while Dugu seeks to prove his innocence without surrendering control.
• Containment versus destruction: The city hopes the transformed residents can be restored, but prepares to kill them if the True Dragon cannot be stopped.
• The danger of forbidden power: The Life Codex and the Dragon-Calling True Method demonstrate how attempts to awaken extraordinary power can unleash forces far beyond human control.
• Cooperation in crisis: Dragonblood City’s varied Dragonkin use their unique abilities together to confront a threat too large for any one person to handle.

Character Interactions

• Nameless questions Dugu about the ritual and presses him to help resolve the crisis.
• Dugu and Nameless nearly clash when Dugu refuses to remain, but Lin Renmei’s arrival shifts the balance of power and forces a tense compromise.
• Lin Renmei bluntly criticizes Dugu, while Nameless uses humor and diplomacy to prevent the confrontation from escalating.
• Long Xiu supports Nameless’s tunnel plan and mobilizes the city’s Dragonkin.
• The chapter ends with the main group entering the underground passage together, despite their mistrust, to face the True Dragon.

Chapter Summary: “Dragon Lord”

Key plot points and events

• Lin Renmei, Nameless, and Dugu Xingwai travel through a frigid tunnel reinforced with ice by the dragonkin.
• Dugu Xingwai secretly observes Lin Renmei, unable to identify her abilities because her Bioforce Field blocks detection. When he leers at her, she warns him and nearly strikes him with a terrifying punch.
• A dragonkin suddenly flees upward, warning them about hordes of insects. Soon afterward, countless Dragonblood Worms surge through the tunnel.
• Nameless identifies the creatures as parasites that infest weakened Giant Dragons. Although they are extraordinarily durable and resistant to ordinary attacks, they are vulnerable to extraordinary elemental power.
• Lin Renmei initially struggles to destroy the endless swarm without damaging Dragonblood City. She then uses her overwhelming physical strength to obliterate vast numbers of worms with successive punches.
• Nameless’s temporarily rented fire ability returns, allowing him to cover Lin Renmei in flame armor and unleash a powerful firestorm. The attack burns every Dragonblood Worm in the passage.
• The flames weaken the ice-reinforced tunnel, causing the walls and ceiling to crack. Just as Nameless suggests retreating, Dugu Xingwai uses the Life Codex to repair and strengthen the damaged passage.
• Dugu reveals that he believes the dragon being resurrected is Fafnir, the Dragon Lord, an ancient being said to be the origin of dragons.

Character developments

• Lin Renmei remains highly disciplined and intimidating, instantly punishing Dugu’s inappropriate behavior. Her immense physical power is demonstrated when she destroys the nearly invulnerable Dragonblood Worms through brute force alone. However, she also shows restraint, deliberately limiting her attacks to avoid damaging Dragonblood City.
• Nameless acts as the group’s calm strategist and information provider. He shares the worms’ weaknesses with Lin Renmei, cautions against relying too heavily on Appraisal information, and uses fire abilities effectively when her physical attacks are insufficient.
• Dugu Xingwai is established as perceptive but opportunistic. Though frightened by Lin Renmei’s strength, he proves useful by repairing the tunnel. His knowledge of Fafnir suggests he may possess important information about the resurrection.
• Lin Renmei and Nameless continue to function as a coordinated team, while Dugu remains an uneasy and distrusted companion.

Significant themes

• Raw power versus specialized abilities: The Dragonblood Worms’ elemental weakness seems decisive, but Lin Renmei proves that overwhelming strength can overcome even highly specialized defenses.
• The danger of incomplete information: Nameless warns that Appraisal data should not be trusted absolutely, emphasizing the need for judgment and adaptability.
• Restraint and responsibility: Lin Renmei must balance using her full strength against protecting Dragonblood City and the surrounding environment.
• Hidden history and transformation: Fafnir’s story introduces questions about identity, the origins of dragons, and the consequences of becoming lost in one’s transformed nature.
• Distrust and hidden motives: Dugu’s assistance is immediately viewed with suspicion, reinforcing the group’s uncertainty about his true intentions.

Character interactions

• Dugu repeatedly flirts with Lin Renmei, prompting her to threaten him physically; Nameless teases him about relying on her protection.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei communicate almost instantaneously through spiritual discussion while responding to the worm swarm.
• Lin Renmei depends on Nameless’s elemental support, while Nameless relies on her strength to hold back the creatures.
• Dugu’s sudden return and repair of the tunnel earns no trust, but his revelation about Fafnir changes the group’s understanding of the threat beneath Dragonblood City.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dugu Xingwai explains that Fafnir, the legendary Five-Colored Dragon Lord, could control dragons and their descendants, including the Dragonblood Worms. This confirms that the dragon resurrecting beneath Dragonblood City is probably Fafnir.
• Nameless, Lin Renmei, and Dugu Xingwai continue descending into the underground cavern despite the danger. Fafnir attempts to delay them by manipulating enormous bones that jut into the passage.
• Lin Renmei destroys the bone barrier and accelerates downward in berserk mode, while Nameless follows using the Nether Mist. Dugu Xingwai deliberately lags behind, secretly coveting Lin Renmei’s powerful body.
• Underground, Fafnir remains mostly skeletal. He absorbs the blood and life force of captured Dragonkin and drains the Dragonblood Worms in an attempt to resurrect himself.
• Realizing that Lin Renmei and Nameless are approaching too quickly, Fafnir abandons his original bones. He concentrates his remaining essence in his eyes and escapes through the hollow dragon bones, sacrificing most of his potential strength to avoid being killed again.
• The group reaches the cavern and finds numerous dead Dragonkin. They discover Fafnir’s enormous skeletal remains, but his consciousness is gone.
• Dugu Xingwai confirms that the bones belong to Fafnir. Nameless deduces that Fafnir escaped through a broken rib leading upward rather than through the main passage.

Character Developments

• Nameless remains calm, perceptive, and determined. He insists on pursuing Fafnir and hopes that even a small chance remains to rescue the kidnapped Dragonkin. His experience with manipulating his own body helps him identify Fafnir’s escape route.
• Lin Renmei displays overwhelming physical power and decisiveness. She destroys Fafnir’s bone defenses and rushes toward the cavern, presenting such a serious threat that Fafnir prioritizes escape over completing his resurrection.
• Dugu Xingwai provides historical knowledge about Fafnir and his abilities but reveals a hidden, selfish motive: he becomes fascinated by Lin Renmei’s body and appears to desire taking it for himself.
• Fafnir is shown to be ruthless, intelligent, and survival-oriented. He sacrifices most of his strength and abandons his original body rather than risk dying a second time.

Significant Themes

• Survival over pride: Fafnir chooses to flee in a severely weakened state rather than fight an enemy he cannot defeat.
• Experience and deduction: Knowledge from past lives and personal experience allows the characters to identify Fafnir and understand his abilities and escape method.
• Power and vulnerability: Although Fafnir was once immensely powerful, his ruined body and dependence on blood leave him vulnerable during resurrection.
• Hidden motives: Dugu Xingwai’s outward cooperation masks his interest in Lin Renmei’s body, suggesting future betrayal or conflict.
• The consequences of death and resurrection: Fafnir’s incomplete revival demonstrates that returning from death comes with severe limitations and requires enormous resources.

Character Interactions

• Nameless questions Dugu Xingwai about Fafnir, while Dugu provides information about the dragon lord’s control over dragons and elemental abilities.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei coordinate instinctively when they detect Fafnir’s attack, retreating before the bone spikes strike.
• Lin Renmei takes the lead in breaking through Fafnir’s defenses, with Nameless supporting her from behind.
• Fafnir senses the approaching pair as a united threat and records their auras, implying that he intends to seek revenge later.
• Upon finding the cavern, Nameless and Dugu interpret the skeletal remains together, while Lin Renmei questions how Fafnir could have escaped. Nameless ultimately solves the mystery by noticing the broken rib leading upward.

Summary: “Second Transcendent State”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fafnir escapes the underground cavern before Nameless, Lin Renmei, and the others can stop him. He drills through the dragon bones and reaches the surface.
• His body rapidly transforms from a lump of flesh into multiple Dragonkin forms, beginning as a Red-Spotted Dragon Wolf.
• He kills and consumes a Dragonforce Beast, then evolves through several forms—including a Dragon-Eyed Saber-Toothed Tiger and eventually a Giant Dragon.
• After feeding, Fafnir begins covering his dragon scales with Base Runes. He intends to use them to create a new layer of seals over his existing abilities.
• Fafnir theorizes that Transcenders are not the ultimate stage of power. Since Base Runes form the foundation of awakened abilities, he believes additional layers of runic seals can produce higher realms, beginning with the “Second Transcendent State.”
• To complete the runes, Fafnir must continuously supply them with energy. Rather than wait, he hunts and consumes animals and Dragonkin, using their strength—and his own stamina—to fuel the transformation.
• Fafnir remains highly intelligent despite his monstrous condition. He remembers a previous failed attempt, when his descendants ambushed him, and is determined not to repeat that mistake.
• He hides from a distant approaching figure instead of fighting immediately, prioritizing food and advancement. He continues slaughtering animals throughout the forest.
• Meanwhile, Nameless and Lin Renmei return to Dragonblood City, disappointed that Fafnir escaped but relieved that he did not destroy the city.
• Since they have no idea where Fafnir went, Nameless decides to send scouts or observers to search for him. Long Xiu later approaches after secretly watching from a distance, having previously fled with the other Dragonkin.

Character Developments

• Fafnir: Reveals himself to be far more than a mindless monster. He is a brilliant researcher with extensive knowledge of Base Runes and a clear ambition to surpass the Transcender realm. His hunger and violence are now directed toward a deliberate evolutionary goal: achieving the Second Transcendent State.
• Nameless: Demonstrates practical leadership. Although frustrated by Fafnir’s escape, he recognizes that searching blindly would be futile and chooses to organize a search instead.
• Lin Renmei: Remains loyal to Nameless and seeks guidance after the failed pursuit. Her concern centers on the threat Fafnir may still pose.
• Long Xiu: Appears cautious and self-preserving. He abandoned the confrontation earlier, observed events from hiding, and only returned once he believed the danger had passed.

Significant Themes

• Evolution through consumption: Fafnir gains strength by devouring living creatures, turning physical hunger into a method of advancement.
• The limitless pursuit of power: Fafnir rejects the idea that Transcenders represent the ultimate stage and imagines an endless hierarchy of higher states.
• Science and monstrosity: Although Fafnir appears increasingly beastlike, his actions are guided by research, theory, and experimentation.
• The cost of power: The Base Runes require energy and may drain Fafnir’s life if he cannot provide enough, emphasizing that advancement comes with serious risks.
• Failure and adaptation: Fafnir learns from his earlier betrayal and modifies his method, showing how past defeat strengthens his current resolve.
• Uncertainty and vulnerability: Nameless and the others are powerful but unable to locate Fafnir, leaving Dragonblood City vulnerable to a hidden and rapidly evolving enemy.

Character Interactions

• Fafnir attacks the Dragonforce Beast and later kills Dragonkin, treating all nearby creatures as resources for his transformation.
• He internally reflects on his former research and his plan for surpassing Transcenders, revealing his motivations directly.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei discuss the consequences of Fafnir’s escape and agree that searching for him is their only practical option.
• Long Xiu cautiously reconnects with Nameless and the others after avoiding the earlier danger, highlighting his distrust and survival instinct.

Chapter Summary: “Discovery”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Long Xiu organizes a search for Fafnir after learning the details of his threat, hoping to find him before Nameless and Lin Renmei leave Dragonblood City.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei join the search, while Nameless spends much of his time investigating the dragonization disease affecting the city’s residents.
• By examining the scales and tails of infected dragonkin, Nameless discovers patterns resembling base runes. He concludes that Fafnir has mastered part of these powerful runes and may be using them to transform living beings.
• Nameless experiments on fish by carving base runes into their bodies and consciousness. Once the fish are able to “observe” the runes, their scales begin transforming into dragon-like scales.
• The experiments fail because the fish lack enough energy and nutrients to support the transformation; their flesh is consumed by the rapidly developing scales, causing them to explode.
• From this, Nameless deduces that Fafnir must be consuming large quantities of flesh and blood to restore his strength and complete or sustain his dragon transformation.
• Lin Renmei connects this theory to recent events: meat prices have risen because hunters are failing to return and beasts near Dragonblood City are becoming scarce.
• Long Xiu uses this information to identify the Subduing Dragon Mountain Range as the most likely location of Fafnir’s activities. The group immediately travels there.

Character Developments

• Nameless becomes increasingly alarmed by Fafnir’s abilities after confirming his mastery of base runes. His scientific experimentation reveals both how dragonization works and the enormous energy required for it.
• Nameless’s attitude toward Fafnir changes. He initially has little personal desire to kill him and considers communicating, but learning that Fafnir eats humans convinces him that Fafnir must die.
• Lin Renmei demonstrates sharp reasoning by linking Nameless’s findings to the shortage of meat and missing hunters. She also remains confident in her growing strength and eagerly looks forward to confronting Fafnir.
• Long Xiu proves cooperative and resourceful, supporting the investigation, providing lodging and food, and rapidly mobilizing information once the likely location is identified.
• Dugu Xingwai confirms Fafnir’s history of cannibalism and warns the group that Fafnir may now be at least as powerful as himself, if not stronger in certain areas.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as power: Understanding the mechanics of base runes allows Nameless to uncover Fafnir’s methods and predict his movements.
• Transformation and the cost of power: Dragonization requires immense energy, showing that supernatural abilities still operate according to underlying principles and limitations.
• Observation and reality: Nameless’s experiments suggest that a transformation only works when the subject can perceive or observe the relevant runes, emphasizing the importance of consciousness in supernatural changes.
• Moral judgment: Fafnir’s cannibalism transforms him from a mysterious threat into an enemy Nameless believes must be destroyed.
• Growing strength and confidence: Lin Renmei’s determination reflects her continuing development and her desire to surpass powerful beings who once looked down on her.

Character Interactions

• Nameless and Lin Renmei work closely together, combining his investigative insight with her deductions and combat confidence.
• Nameless reports his discoveries to Long Xiu, who uses the city’s intelligence to narrow down Fafnir’s location.
• Dugu Xingwai provides crucial background about Fafnir’s madness and past crimes while warning the group of the danger ahead.
• Lin Renmei’s confidence contrasts with Dugu Xingwai’s caution: she welcomes the chance to test herself against Fafnir, while he emphasizes that Fafnir may be extraordinarily powerful.
• The chapter ends with the group united and traveling toward the Subduing Dragon Mountain Range to confront Fafnir.

Chapter Summary: “True Dragon King”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fafnir hides in the Subduing Dragon Mountain Range, using his immense size and chameleon-like abilities to blend into the mountains while hunting nearby creatures for biological energy.
• He is close to attempting the second Transcender state, but deliberately restrains himself after remembering his previous failure and continues gathering strength.
• When he senses Nameless and the others approaching, Fafnir enhances his camouflage with a descendant’s ability, making his body resemble the mountain so completely that trees grow across him.
• Nameless, Lin Renmei, Long Xiu, and Dugu Xingwai enter the range and discover widespread bloodshed, realizing that Fafnir has been hiding there rather than near Dragonblood City.
• Nameless’s Information Control detects that the predator hunting the local creatures keeps changing forms, leading the group to suspect that Fafnir can disguise himself freely.
• By comparing present mountain data with information recorded during their earlier journey, Nameless exposes Fafnir’s outline and locates him.
• The group prepares for battle. Appraisal reveals that Fafnir is a Level 79, Top-Level Transcender with extraordinary physical, elemental, defensive, regenerative, and shapeshifting abilities.
• Lin Renmei offers to sacrifice her name if necessary to increase her power, but Nameless refuses to decide in advance. He recognizes the personal cost of such a sacrifice, especially because her name was given to her by her father.

Character Developments

• Fafnir: Displays patience and strategic thinking by delaying his transformation despite his eagerness to advance. His camouflage and hunting tactics show that he is not merely powerful but highly adaptable and cunning.
• Nameless: Demonstrates strong analytical ability through Information Control, compensating for the loss of his eyes and other abilities. He remains calm after learning how powerful Fafnir is and prioritizes protecting his teammates.
• Lin Renmei: Shows courage and willingness to sacrifice herself for the group. Her offer also reveals the emotional significance of her name and the tragedy of potentially losing it.
• Long Xiu: Admits that the group should have considered the mountain range earlier and regrets not bringing a hunter familiar with the terrain.
• Dugu Xingwai: Adds useful knowledge about Fafnir’s ability to transform into different forms and father offspring with creatures of any size.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus recklessness: Fafnir restrains his impatience to accumulate enough energy, while the heroes carefully gather information before attacking.
• Adaptation and disguise: Fafnir’s ability to alter his appearance reflects the danger of an enemy who can hide in any environment and assume countless forms.
• The cost of power: Sacrificing a name can provide immense strength, but it carries deep personal and emotional consequences.
• Identity and heritage: Lin Renmei’s concern over losing her father-given name emphasizes the connection between identity, family, and personal history.
• Knowledge as power: Nameless’s information-gathering abilities allow the group to uncover an enemy who would otherwise be nearly impossible to find.

Character Interactions

• Lin Renmei criticizes Long Xiu for failing to consider the mountain range, but Nameless prevents the disagreement from escalating and redirects everyone toward finding Fafnir.
• Nameless shares his discoveries with Lin Renmei, allowing her to recognize the abnormal hunting patterns and confirm his suspicions.
• After seeing Fafnir’s appraisal, Lin Renmei immediately offers her name as a sacrifice, while Nameless responds cautiously and tries to protect her from making such a devastating choice.
• The group works collectively to identify Fafnir, combining Nameless’s analysis, Dugu Xingwai’s knowledge, and the others’ awareness of the terrain and threat.

Chapter Summary: “A Crushing Victory”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nameless asks Dugu Xingwai and Long Xiu to temporarily submit to Lin Renmei’s ability, Superhuman Armament, which transforms people into gem-like equipment.
• Dugu Xingwai reluctantly agrees because refusing would likely result in his death. Lin Renmei turns him into an Armament Gem while preserving his consciousness.
• Long Xiu initially considers escaping but realizes Fafnir has already detected their presence and that he has no realistic chance of surviving alone. He also becomes a gem.
• Nameless mounts both gems on Lin Renmei’s hands, allowing her to gain random enhancements from their abilities. Dugu Xingwai provides a noticeable boost, while Long Xiu contributes comparatively little.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei approach Fafnir while concealing the fact that they know his location. Following Nameless’s instructions, Lin Renmei pretends to be searching and gets within striking distance.
• Instead of attacking Fafnir’s tail, Nameless directs Lin Renmei to strike his spine. She launches a surprise attack that bends Fafnir’s body and sends him crashing into the mountain range.
• Fafnir quickly adapts, transforming into a half-dragon, half-human form and creating a spear from his tail and arm. However, Lin Renmei’s counterattack destroys the spear and severely wounds him.
• When Fafnir attempts to retreat, Lin Renmei pursues him and lands another devastating punch. Fafnir transforms into a Shell Dragon, but the attack shatters his armor and tears apart his body.
• Believing the fight to be nearly over, Lin Renmei remarks that Fafnir is far weaker than Apophis. Nameless still warns her not to become careless.
• Fafnir then emerges from the ruins in his true form: a hundred-meter giant dragon covered in Base Runes, roaring in pain. The chapter ends as the battle appears ready to escalate.

Character Developments

• Nameless: Demonstrates strategic caution and strong control over the situation. He distrusts Dugu Xingwai and Long Xiu but uses them pragmatically rather than killing them. His tactical guidance allows Lin Renmei to exploit Fafnir’s hidden position.
• Lin Renmei: Shows immense confidence, decisiveness, and overwhelming physical power. She easily dominates Fafnir without using her full strength, though her aggressive nature requires Nameless to remind her to remain stealthy and vigilant.
• Dugu Xingwai: Temporarily submits despite his pride and resistance, recognizing that survival is more important than refusing Nameless. His Armament Gem significantly strengthens Lin Renmei.
• Long Xiu: Appears cowardly and self-interested, considering escape before accepting that he has no alternative. His contribution as an Armament Gem is much weaker than Dugu Xingwai’s.
• Fafnir: Reveals considerable adaptability and several powerful transformations, but each form is rapidly overwhelmed by Lin Renmei. His emergence as a giant dragon suggests that he has not yet shown his full strength.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatic survival and submission: Dugu Xingwai and Long Xiu must temporarily surrender their freedom to survive, emphasizing the harsh power dynamics of the situation.
• Trust and coercion: Nameless claims that transforming the two men is meant to protect them, but the decision is ultimately forced by his superior strength and their lack of alternatives.
• Overwhelming power versus adaptation: Fafnir repeatedly changes forms and tactics, yet Lin Renmei’s strength remains dominant, highlighting the gap between them.
• Strategy over brute force: Nameless’s concealment plan and attack instructions allow the protagonists to gain the initiative despite Fafnir believing he is the one setting the ambush.
• Hidden potential: Although Fafnir is badly beaten, his final transformation indicates that apparent defeat may only be the beginning of his strongest phase.

Important Character Interactions

• Nameless and Dugu Xingwai negotiate under threat, with Dugu Xingwai recognizing that temporary obedience is the safest option.
• Nameless persuades Long Xiu to become an Armament Gem, while Lin Renmei openly insults him and questions his worth.
• Nameless acts as Lin Renmei’s tactical guide, correcting her direct approach and directing her attacks toward Fafnir’s spine.
• Lin Renmei relies on Nameless’s instructions but otherwise fights independently, overpowering Fafnir through direct physical attacks.
• Fafnir’s escalating transformations create the central conflict, ending with him revealing his giant true form after Lin Renmei assumes victory is nearly secured.

Chapter Summary: “Ascender”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fafnir, facing imminent death, abandons his original plan of carefully preparing for advancement and forcibly embeds all the Base Runes into his scales.
• The process tears his body apart, but before he can complete it, Lin Renmei attacks on Nameless’s orders. Her kick destroys Fafnir’s head and causes a catastrophic shockwave that splits the Subduing Dragon Mountain Range, flattens distant peaks, and sends destructive winds across the continent.
• Despite the apparent fatal damage, Fafnir survives. His regenerative nature allows him to continue evolving even without a brain, while his spiritual awareness lets him perceive the Base Runes strengthening his body.
• Fafnir realizes that his previous failed advancement was caused by insufficient “standing.” After being shaped by legend, erased, revived, and associated with disaster, he has finally accumulated enough significance to advance.
• He reaches the level of a legendary Ancient Dragon, comparable to the Domain Adept realm. Fafnir declares that this stage should not be called “Second Transcendence,” but “Ascender.”
• Lin Renmei repeatedly attacks him, shattering his body and punching holes through him, but Fafnir’s vitality has increased dramatically. His Base Runes vanish from his scales, and his scattered flesh reforms into a powerful red-skinned humanoid form.
• Nameless realizes that Fafnir has become similar to Apophis and that fighting him near Dragonblood City would endanger everyone there. He orders Lin Renmei to lure Fafnir to Antarctica, where their abilities may be more effective.
• Lin Renmei pretends to flee in fear, successfully provoking Fafnir into pursuing her. Fafnir’s counterattack reveals that his new powers can interfere with or suppress her superpower.
• Lin Renmei escapes through magma using her Bioforce Field, while Fafnir transforms into a massive Ancient Dragon and follows her underground toward Antarctica.

Character Developments

• Fafnir: Undergoes a desperate, near-fatal forced advancement and emerges vastly stronger. He evolves from a powerful dragon into an Ancient Dragon/Ascender, gaining incredible regeneration, a new humanoid form, and abilities resembling Apophis’s power. His near-death experience also gives him a clearer understanding of the relationship between legend, disaster, and advancement.
• Lin Renmei: Demonstrates overwhelming physical strength by destroying Fafnir’s body, but discovers that her abilities are no longer fully effective against his evolved form. She also shows tactical discipline by following Nameless’s plan, faking fear, and escaping through magma to draw Fafnir away from populated areas.
• Nameless: Acts as the strategist and coordinator. He recognizes that Fafnir is not truly dead, identifies his resemblance to Apophis, and prioritizes evacuating the battle away from Dragonblood City. His knowledge of Antarctica suggests he has prepared advantages there.

Significant Themes

• Advancement through crisis: Fafnir’s evolution occurs because desperation forces him to risk everything. Death becomes the catalyst for transformation.
• Legend and identity: Fafnir’s strength is tied not only to physical power but also to the legends surrounding him—his destruction, revival, and role as a bringer of disaster give him the “standing” needed to advance.
• Survival and regeneration: The chapter emphasizes that conventional weaknesses such as decapitation or organ destruction are meaningless against beings capable of transcending ordinary life.
• Power escalation: Fafnir’s transformation places him in the same general category as Apophis and other extraordinary beings, signaling a major shift in the balance of power.
• Strategic retreat: Although Lin Renmei is physically formidable, direct combat is no longer enough. The heroes must rely on planning, deception, and terrain to survive.
• Collateral destruction: The devastation caused by Fafnir’s advancement highlights the danger these higher-level battles pose to entire cities and continents.

Character Interactions

• Nameless and Lin Renmei: Nameless directs Lin Renmei’s attacks and later warns her to retreat. Their cooperation shows trust and an effective division between strategy and execution.
• Lin Renmei and Fafnir: Their confrontation shifts from Lin Renmei dominating Fafnir to Fafnir overpowering her after his advancement. Their mutual hostility becomes intensely personal, especially because Lin Renmei nearly killed him before his transformation.
• Nameless and Fafnir: Nameless observes Fafnir’s evolution and compares him to Apophis, recognizing him as a threat requiring special tactics rather than ordinary combat.
• Fafnir and his own advancement: Fafnir’s internal realization is central to the chapter. He interprets his suffering and previous failures as necessary stages in becoming an Ascender, embracing his new identity and power.

Chapter Summary: “Ontological Suppression”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Renmei remains faster and physically stronger than Fafnir, but Fafnir’s advancement has given him overwhelming close-combat ability and a powerful form of suppression.
• Lin deliberately lures Fafnir out of the underground magma into Antarctica, hoping the icy environment will provide a favorable battlefield.
• Fafnir reveals his mastery over elemental forces as a Five-Colored Dragon, turning the surrounding lightning, snow, ice, and even magma against Lin.
• Lin’s defensive Nether Mist is easily dispersed by Fafnir’s punch, which sends her crashing into the ice.
• Fafnir boasts that he has surpassed Awakened and Transcender levels to become an Ascender—the supposed first in the world—and explains that his abilities possess a higher “priority,” allowing him to suppress and overpower lesser abilities.
• Lin reveals that she previously defeated an opponent just as troublesome, implying that Fafnir is not the first Ascender. This shocks and enrages him.
• Realizing that her physical abilities, immunity, and True Damage are being nullified, Lin changes tactics and retreats to attack from a distance.
• She throws a specially constructed superalloy projectile containing Inert Gold, designed to suppress supernatural abilities. Fafnir casually catches and discards it, proving that even Inert Gold cannot overcome his Ascender-level power.
• Lin finally acknowledges that Fafnir’s “Ontological Suppression” makes him far stronger than expected and places her hopes on Captain Nameless finding a way to defeat him.

Character Developments

• Lin Renmei: Demonstrates tactical intelligence by choosing the battlefield, adapting her strategy, and exploiting her superior speed. Despite suffering a serious blow and having her abilities suppressed, she remains composed and defiant. Her confidence rises when she recalls defeating a previous powerful enemy, but she ultimately recognizes the severity of Fafnir’s superiority.
• Fafnir: Displays overwhelming confidence, arrogance, and pride in his Ascender status. He enjoys explaining his power and views Lin as a potential confidant because of his long-held loneliness. His composure falters when she challenges his claim to being the first Ascender, revealing insecurity beneath his arrogance.

Significant Themes

• Ontological or hierarchical suppression: The chapter emphasizes that power is not merely a matter of strength; abilities with a higher level of existence can negate or weaken lower-level powers entirely.
• Adaptation versus absolute power: Lin repeatedly changes tactics, but Fafnir’s superiority prevents conventional strategy, technology, or elemental resistance from working.
• Arrogance and vulnerability: Fafnir’s pride leads him to talk openly about his achievements, yet his boastfulness also exposes his emotional isolation and sensitivity to being challenged.
• Hope against overwhelming odds: Although Lin cannot defeat Fafnir directly, her resistance and faith in Nameless preserve the possibility of victory.

Character Interactions

• Lin and Fafnir engage in a pursuit that becomes a battle of strategy and battlefield control.
• Fafnir treats Lin as both an enemy and a rare listener, explaining his Ascender abilities while preparing to kill her.
• Lin undermines Fafnir’s pride by denying that he is the first Ascender and claiming that she previously defeated someone comparable.
• Their clash demonstrates the gap between an Awakened fighter, even one as powerful as Lin, and an Ascender whose abilities can suppress the very rules her powers depend on.

Chapter Summary: “Primordial Serpent God”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Renmei and Nameless assess their chances against Fafnir, who has recently advanced to the Ascender realm. Although Fafnir is immensely powerful, his energy was heavily depleted during ascension.
• Nameless proposes exhausting Fafnir by prolonging the battle and preventing him from replenishing his strength.
• Lin Renmei lures Fafnir away from the planet and into space, hoping the harsh environment and lack of resources will weaken him.
• She uses her Nuclear Explosion Fist against Fafnir by compressing and detonating a meteorite, but the attack proves ineffective. Fafnir absorbs the resulting radiation and continues pursuing her.
• Lin Renmei and Fafnir battle through space, destroying meteorites and even shattering one made of tungsten. Fafnir repeatedly wounds her, while Nameless rapidly heals her and temporarily grants her other abilities.
• Their lower-level abilities remain largely ineffective against an Ascender. Lin Renmei realizes that she must advance beyond the Awakened realm if she hopes to fight opponents like Fafnir and Apophis.
• As they approach Crimson Radiance Star, Nameless senses danger and orders Lin Renmei to flee.
• Fafnir’s presence as an Ascender awakens a gigantic crimson serpent sleeping within the star. The serpent pursues and swallows Fafnir effortlessly.
• Lin Renmei narrowly survives when a meteorite strikes the serpent and knocks her away from its mouth. The serpent then retreats into Crimson Radiance Star.
• Nameless reflects on the overwhelming existence of stronger beings, recognizing that there is always “a higher heaven” beyond one’s current level of power.

Character Developments

• Lin Renmei: Becomes more aware of the importance of cultivation realms. Previously confident in her physical strength, she now recognizes that her lower realm severely limits her against Ascenders. Her determination to advance from Awakened to Transcender and eventually Ascender intensifies.
• Nameless: Acts as Lin Renmei’s strategist, healer, and support system. He evaluates Fafnir’s weaknesses, manages Lin Renmei’s abilities, and uses his Sixth Sense to detect the primordial serpent before it attacks.
• Fafnir: Despite his recent advancement to Ascender and overwhelming combat strength, he is shown to be vulnerable after exhausting much of his energy during ascension. His confidence and aggression ultimately lead him into the serpent’s attack range, where he is killed instantly.
• Primordial Serpent: Introduced as an incomprehensibly powerful ancient entity residing within Crimson Radiance Star. Its effortless destruction of Fafnir establishes it as a threat far beyond the Ascender realm.

Significant Themes

• The hierarchy of power: The chapter emphasizes the vast gap between realms. Abilities that are formidable against ordinary opponents become nearly useless against Ascenders.
• The need for advancement: Lin Renmei’s experience forces her to acknowledge that raw strength is not enough; she must continue advancing through the higher realms.
• There is always a stronger opponent: Fafnir appears nearly unbeatable, yet he is effortlessly consumed by an even more powerful being. This reinforces the chapter’s central idea that no level of strength guarantees supremacy.
• Strategy versus overwhelming power: Lin Renmei and Nameless rely on speed, endurance, healing, and battlefield manipulation, but these tactics cannot fully overcome the difference between realms.
• The unknown dangers of the universe: The primordial serpent reveals that the wider cosmos contains ancient beings whose power far exceeds what the characters previously understood.

Important Character Interactions

• Lin Renmei and Nameless: Work closely together, combining Nameless’s analysis and support abilities with Lin Renmei’s speed and combat skill. Their shared realization that Lin Renmei must advance strengthens their partnership and resolve.
• Lin Renmei and Fafnir: Engage in a prolonged chase and battle across space. Lin Renmei repeatedly evades and redirects his attacks, while Fafnir relies on superior power and durability to keep pressuring her.
• Fafnir and the primordial serpent: Fafnir’s attempt to pursue Lin Renmei brings him into contact with the sleeping serpent. Their brief confrontation is completely one-sided, ending with Fafnir’s immediate death.
• Lin Renmei and the primordial serpent: Lin Renmei is not the serpent’s target, but she is nearly killed as collateral damage. Her narrow escape demonstrates how insignificant even powerful fighters are before the ancient creature.

Chapter Summary: “Great Destruction Arrives?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nameless and Lin Renmei witness terrifying three-dimensional footage of multiple universes undergoing catastrophic stellar collisions. Stars, planets, and gas clouds collide and explode until two parallel universes completely overlap, destroying all life within them.
• Nameless identifies the phenomenon as Great Destruction, recalling information contained in Professor Zhou’s memories. Although the event differs somewhat from the Great Destruction Zhou experienced, its scale and consequences are unmistakable.
• Chen Weihua explains that the Rescue Team is already evacuating survivors from one doomed world, which is expected to vanish completely within a week.
• She then shows them footage from another destroyed world. By the time the Rescue Team arrived, Mingzhu City had been ruined and the sun had become a mysterious Black Sun. The sun suddenly exploded, killing the rescue team members present and cutting off the recording.
• Chen Weihua asks Nameless to revive the deceased members once possible. Neither she nor Nameless can explain what the Black Sun was, though Nameless connects it with the ominous “White Giant Snake,” suggesting that both may be related to a larger mystery.
• Nameless considers whether destroying one of two approaching worlds might save the other, but recognizes that this would be a morally cruel solution. He also admits that he may not possess the power to stop Great Destruction at all.
• After the briefing, Nameless and Lin Renmei return to their shared dormitory and begin preparing for the possible catastrophe.
• Nameless studies the Base Runes and the Dark King’s curse, discovering a potentially safer advancement method than Fafnir’s dangerous path. He plans to use the Dragon Exoshell as a controlled means of advancement and possibly create other exoshells based on creatures such as tigers, phoenixes, and snakes.
• The Rescue Team spends the following months stockpiling supplies and renewable resources. Nameless and Lin Renmei hunt Mutated Beasts and gather abilities needed for their advancement into Transcenders.
• Chen Weihua and other important members of the Rescue Team also train intensely, delegating ordinary responsibilities to subordinates.
• Several months pass without another confirmed case of Great Destruction. However, an unforeseen incident eventually interrupts everyone’s cultivation.

Character Developments

• Nameless becomes increasingly aware of the limits of his power. Although he searches for practical solutions, such as destroying one universe to save another, he recognizes the ethical burden and uncertainty of such decisions.
• He also makes progress toward a safer advancement route through the Dragon Exoshell, moving away from Fafnir’s unpredictable and potentially fatal method.
• Lin Renmei continues supporting Nameless through her wishes and helps him acquire the abilities necessary for advancement. Their long symbiotic relationship is reflected in their shared routines and preparation.
• Chen Weihua demonstrates calm leadership by organizing evacuations, preserving records, mobilizing the Rescue Team, and directing preparations for a possible universal disaster.
• Other senior members, including Liu Sishan, Cheng Xuejie, and Zhang Shouzhong, respond to the threat by prioritizing cultivation and survival preparations.

Significant Themes

• The insignificance of individual power before cosmic destruction: Great Destruction appears to be a natural disaster on a universal scale, beyond the ability of ordinary strength to resist.
• Moral sacrifice and impossible choices: Nameless contemplates destroying one world to save another, raising questions about whether survival justifies mass sacrifice.
• Preparation versus uncertainty: The characters prepare extensively despite lacking proof that Great Destruction has fully begun.
• Advancement and controlled evolution: Nameless seeks a safer, more systematic path to power rather than risking death through Fafnir’s method.
• Mystery and foreshadowing: The Black Sun, White Giant Snake, and disappearing worlds hint at larger forces or phenomena connected to the coming catastrophe.
• Preservation of life and memory: The Rescue Team records its fallen members and intends to revive them, emphasizing the value placed on individual lives even amid universal destruction.

Character Interactions

• Chen Weihua briefs Nameless and Lin Renmei on the destruction of multiple worlds, relying on Nameless to handle threats beyond the Rescue Team’s capabilities.
• Nameless and Chen Weihua discuss evacuation, the Black Sun, and the possibility that a world may have been deliberately destroyed.
• Lin Renmei questions the nature of the Black Sun, while Nameless offers only speculation and connects it to the White Giant Snake.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei share domestic space and meals while preparing for advancement, showing both their close bond and their desire for personal privacy.
• The wider Rescue Team follows Nameless’s example, joining Chen Weihua in training and resource accumulation as they prepare for an uncertain but potentially universal catastrophe.

Chapter Summary: “Missing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nameless, Lin Renmei, and Cheng Xuejie arrive in Mingzhu City during a light rain and meet Chu Li, a scout from the Rescue Team’s Logistics Group, at a teahouse.
• Cheng Xuejie and Lin Renmei seal the room with bioforce fields so their discussion cannot be overheard.
• Chu Li explains that the Rescue Team discovered this parallel world and began an operation to eliminate its Heavenly Foxes and Beast-Taming Zhu Family.
• Every Rescue Team unit sent into Mingzhu City has disappeared:
  • The initial scouting and purge teams vanished.
  • An elite team sent by Patrol Unit Headquarters also disappeared.
  • Bai Yating’s ace team suffered the same fate the previous day.
• None of the missing members are confirmed dead. Their lifelines remain intact, suggesting they have been taken or transported somewhere rather than killed.
• The teams all vanished after attempting to kill a Heavenly Fox, using themselves as bait to lure out the hidden enemy.
• Nameless concludes that the group should force its way through the situation rather than repeat the same bait strategy.
• Chu Li worries about the consequences if the Rescue Team’s central figures also disappear, but Nameless assures him that he has a contingency plan.
• After appraising Chu Li and confirming his strength, Nameless allows him to join the operation.
• Before leaving, Chu Li pays the teahouse bill because the team lacks the local world’s currency.
• Nameless decides to investigate Patrol Unit Headquarters first, postponing any confrontation with Prince Yue and the Moon King. His main priority is finding the missing Rescue Team members and returning to cultivation.

Character Developments

• Nameless remains calm, analytical, and confident despite the unexplained disappearances. He prioritizes the Rescue Team’s missing members over settling old conflicts with Prince Yue and the Moon King, showing practical restraint and a desire to avoid unnecessary distractions.
• Lin Renmei demonstrates composure and strategic insight. She recognizes that the enemy is deliberately targeting the Rescue Team and supports Nameless’s decision to confront the situation directly.
• Cheng Xuejie shows concern over the unusual fact that no one has died and seeks Nameless’s judgment. Her immense reputation within the Rescue Team is emphasized because of her contribution of the bioforce-field cultivation method.
• Chu Li is respectful and somewhat awed by Nameless’s legendary status. Though initially cautious about joining the dangerous mission, he proves responsible and brave by volunteering to help. His Level 35 strength is revealed to be significant, even if his standing is lower than Cheng Xuejie’s.
• Bai Yating and the other missing teams are established as capable Rescue Team members who nevertheless repeatedly fall victim to the same mysterious phenomenon.

Significant Themes

• The limits of experience and repeated strategy: Multiple teams use the same tactic of baiting the enemy, but their predictable approach leads to repeated disappearances.
• The unknown versus certainty: The missing members’ intact lifelines create a mystery, suggesting that disappearance does not equal death and that the enemy’s abilities remain unclear.
• Leadership and responsibility: Nameless, Lin Renmei, and Cheng Xuejie are described as pillars of the Rescue Team, making their decisions crucial to the organization’s survival.
• Pragmatism over revenge: Nameless abandons the opportunity to pursue familiar enemies, focusing instead on the urgent rescue mission.
• Reputation and hierarchy: The chapter contrasts combat strength with status and contribution. Cheng Xuejie may not be among the strongest fighters, but her invention and service have earned her exceptional respect.

Character Interactions

• Chu Li treats Nameless with admiration after learning his identity, while Nameless responds with restrained authority.
• Cheng Xuejie introduces the others and clarifies Nameless’s history, helping Chu Li understand why he is called “Captain Nameless.”
• Lin Renmei asks targeted questions that reveal the pattern behind the disappearances.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei quickly align on the need to confront the enemy directly, while Cheng Xuejie asks Nameless to make the final tactical judgment.
• Chu Li expresses concern for the senior members and the Rescue Team’s future, prompting Nameless to reassure him.
• Nameless accepts Chu Li into the team after evaluating his abilities, establishing a temporary alliance for the investigation.

Summary of “The Loop”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nameless, Chu Li, Cheng Xuejie, and Lin Renmei enter Patrol Unit Headquarters, where several Heavenly Foxes are playing.
• They kill the foxes to test whether doing so triggers the disappearances affecting Bai Yating and the others. Nothing immediately happens.
• After leaving the building, Nameless detects that the rain is repeating the exact same trajectories as before. When they reenter, the Heavenly Foxes have revived, revealing that time has reset to the moment before the group left.
• The group tests the phenomenon by waiting in a restaurant. Upon exiting, they discover that half an hour has been erased or repeated.
• They conclude that killing Heavenly Foxes—or possibly leaving certain locations—causes people to become trapped at a fixed point in time. Those affected have not truly vanished; they exist as “temporal ghosts” while the outside world continues moving forward.
• Nameless contacts headquarters and warns Weihua not to send additional personnel into the area.
• He theorizes that a person is maintaining the time-related superpower. Finding and neutralizing that person should break the loop.
• Cheng Xuejie suggests eliminating every Heavenly Fox as a precaution. Nameless reveals that he has already scanned the city and determined the foxes are not responsible.
• Using Psychokinesis, Information Control, and Appraisal, Nameless narrows the possible suspects to a few hundred people whose concealed equipment prevents him from identifying them remotely.
• Lin Renmei suggests that Bai Yating and the others may also be searching for the culprit in the same way.

Character Developments

• Nameless demonstrates exceptional control over his abilities and remains calm despite the temporal anomaly. His Information Control lets him detect the repeated rain patterns, while his Psychokinesis allows him to scan nearly the entire city.
• He takes on the role of strategist and leader, explaining the loop and proposing a methodical search for the person responsible.
• Cheng Xuejie is practical and proactive, proposing that they eliminate the Heavenly Foxes as suspects before searching for the true culprit. She also challenges Nameless’s assumptions and expresses frustration at the difficulty of locating the enemy.
• Chu Li contributes logical theories, suggesting that the affected people may be anchored to a specific point in time and that the phenomenon may depend on inevitable outcomes.
• Lin Renmei remains observant and analytical, recognizing the implications of the group’s own disappearance and suggesting that Bai Yating’s group may be conducting a parallel investigation.
• Nameless’s casual efficiency surprises and frustrates the others, especially when they realize he has already completed most of the investigation without telling them.

Significant Themes

• Time loops and altered reality: The chapter explores how people can become trapped in a repeated moment without physically disappearing.
• Limits of perception: The repeating rain is invisible to ordinary observation, emphasizing the importance of specialized abilities and careful analysis.
• Cause and effect: The characters debate whether the loop is triggered by killing Heavenly Foxes, leaving a location, or reaching a predetermined outcome.
• Methodical investigation versus overwhelming power: While Nameless’s abilities greatly accelerate the search, some concealed targets still require direct investigation.
• Isolation and entrapment: The characters compare their condition to imprisonment, highlighting the psychological danger of being trapped outside normal time.

Character Interactions

• The four cooperate closely while testing the temporal phenomenon and exchanging theories.
• Nameless reassures the team and headquarters but withholds the exact nature of the ability that lets him communicate across temporal and spatial distortions.
• Cheng Xuejie openly questions Nameless’s conclusions and reacts skeptically when he reveals how quickly he has narrowed the suspects.
• Lin Renmei and Chu Li help interpret the phenomenon, transforming Nameless’s observations into a clearer theory of temporal anchoring.
• The group ultimately agrees that their next objective is to investigate the remaining concealed individuals and identify the source of the time loop.

Chapter Summary: “Domain of Time”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lin Renmei and the Rescue Team realize that their investigation should focus on people near the end of the surname list, since Bai Yating’s group likely already examined those listed earlier.
• Following phonetic order, they choose Zhong Dian as their first target because his name appears last and because it may hint at a time-related ability.
• Nameless leads the group to an outdoor barbecue restaurant, where they find Zhong Dian eating large amounts of high-energy meat.
• Zhong Dian immediately admits that he is responsible for trapping the Rescue Team in a time loop. He explains that anyone who kills a Heavenly Fox becomes affected by his domain and remains trapped within it.
• Zhong Dian reveals that his ability is not merely a superpower but the power of a higher realm called a Domain. He identifies himself as a Domain Adept, a level beyond Transcenders.
• Nameless is surprised by this revelation, especially because Zhong Dian dismisses the commonly assumed progression from Transcender to Ascender as “worthless trash,” suggesting that the world’s understanding of power levels is incomplete or incorrect.

Character Developments

• Nameless demonstrates confidence, strategic thinking, and emotional composure. He quickly identifies Zhong Dian as the likely culprit and approaches him without fear, while also considering multiple methods of testing the time loop.
• Lin Renmei initially worries that Zhong Dian’s time-space power may be impossible to resist, but Nameless helps her understand that she was not directly targeted—she merely existed within the altered time.
• Cheng Xuejie remains energetic and playful, helping ease the group’s tension through jokes about names and superpowers.
• Chu Li contributes logical observations, noting the possible connection between Zhong Dian’s name and his time-based ability.
• Zhong Dian is arrogant and theatrical. He views his advanced power as an opportunity to lecture and flaunt his superiority. Despite his dangerous ability, he openly explains his identity because he does not consider the Rescue Team a threat.

Significant Themes

• Hidden levels of power: The chapter expands the known power hierarchy, introducing Domain Adepts as beings beyond Transcenders and challenging the group’s assumptions about advancement.
• Knowledge versus ignorance: Zhong Dian mocks the people of Mingzhu City for believing Top-Tier Awakened are the strongest, emphasizing how limited their understanding of the world is.
• Investigation and deduction: The Rescue Team uses surname order, linguistic clues, and knowledge of previous investigations to narrow down their suspect efficiently.
• Confidence in the face of danger: Nameless maintains a relaxed attitude despite entering the domain of an enemy capable of manipulating time.
• Identity and names: The characters jokingly speculate about the relationship between names and abilities, while Nameless’s forgotten identity remains a source of mystery.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Xuejie and Lin Renmei share a warm, playful friendship, holding hands and joking about their names and abilities.
• Nameless reassures Lin Renmei about her resistance to Zhong Dian’s power and keeps the group calm with humor.
• The team exchanges lighthearted guesses about Lin Renmei’s childhood nickname, briefly including Chu Li in the teasing.
• Upon meeting Zhong Dian, Nameless engages him in a calm but probing conversation. Zhong Dian answers openly but adopts a condescending tone, treating the Rescue Team as ignorant outsiders.
• The chapter ends with Nameless questioning Zhong Dian’s explanation of the power hierarchy, setting up a deeper conflict over the true nature of realms, domains, and advancement.

Summary: “Drained Dry in an Instant”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhong Dian explains his advancement system: Awakened progress through the stages of Transcender, Domain Adept, Sacred Domain Adept, Divine Domain Adept, and Dominator. He views this as the only legitimate path to immortality.
• Nameless realizes that the realms beyond Transcendence may have many different advancement systems, such as Fafnir’s Ascender path and Zhong Dian’s Domain Adept path. This broadens his ambitions and makes him consider creating a path of his own.
• When Nameless asks how Transcenders become Domain Adepts, Zhong Dian cannot answer because the Dark King forcibly elevated him to his current level. To hide his ignorance, Zhong Dian attempts to kill Nameless.
• Zhong Dian attacks Nameless with a power that rapidly drains a target’s lifespan, but Lin Renmei destroys his body before the attack can kill Nameless.
• Zhong Dian uses Time Reversal to restore his body and undo the attack. Although the others lose their memories of the event, Nameless deduces what happened through his Information Control ability.
• Nameless deploys the enhanced Sun-Moon Pearl and Sun-Moon World-Illuminating Mirror. Together, they create a barrier that suppresses superpowers and prevents Zhong Dian from activating Time Reversal.
• Zhong Dian then uses Time Acceleration on himself, effectively freezing the surrounding world while he delivers ten thousand punches to Nameless. When time resumes, the accumulated force explodes from Nameless’s chest and sends him flying.
• The attack kills many bystanders. Lin Renmei, enraged by the casualties, attacks Zhong Dian.
• Zhong Dian accelerates himself again and strikes Lin Renmei, but the moment his palm connects, his physical strength is mysteriously drained. He rapidly withers into a dried corpse and dies screaming.

Character Developments

• Nameless: His worldview expands as he recognizes that there may be countless routes to transcendence. He begins considering the possibility of forging his own path. He also demonstrates increasing strategic maturity by carrying powerful external equipment instead of relying solely on his abilities.
• Zhong Dian: His arrogance and obsession with maintaining appearances are exposed. He pretends to understand the Domain Adept path, but in reality depends entirely on the Dark King for advancement. Despite possessing formidable time-based abilities, his confidence collapses when Nameless neutralizes his advantages.
• Lin Renmei: She continues to act as Nameless’s protector and demonstrates overwhelming physical power. Her anger at Zhong Dian intensifies after innocent civilians are killed, revealing her strong sense of responsibility and compassion.
• The Rescue Team: Their research and cross-world resource gathering prove crucial. The enhanced equipment developed by the team gives Nameless a decisive advantage over Zhong Dian.

Significant Themes

• Multiple paths to power: The chapter challenges the idea that there is one universally correct route to immortality. Different beings can develop entirely different systems of advancement.
• Innovation versus dogma: Zhong Dian treats his path as absolute truth, while Nameless remains curious and open-minded, suggesting that creativity and independence may lead to greater heights.
• Preparation and adaptation: Nameless’s decision to carry specialized equipment, motivated by his earlier struggle against Apophis, demonstrates how past failures produce practical improvements.
• Arrogance and deception: Zhong Dian’s need to posture causes him to conceal his ignorance and underestimate Nameless, ultimately contributing to his defeat.
• The cost of power: Zhong Dian’s attacks devastate civilians, while Lin Renmei’s fury reflects the moral consequences of using overwhelming strength without regard for others.

Important Character Interactions

• Nameless and Zhong Dian: Their conversation begins as a discussion about cultivation paths but becomes a battle of intellect and power. Nameless’s questions expose Zhong Dian’s insecurity, while Zhong Dian’s attacks reveal his reliance on time manipulation.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei: Lin Renmei repeatedly protects Nameless, first by destroying Zhong Dian’s body and later by attacking him after Nameless is injured. Their cooperation is central to surviving the encounter.
• Nameless and the Rescue Team: Nameless’s use of the enhanced artifacts highlights his dependence on the team’s research and his willingness to learn from previous missions.
• Lin Renmei and Zhong Dian: Their final confrontation is driven by Lin Renmei’s rage over the civilians Zhong Dian killed. Her attack appears to trigger the mysterious power-draining effect that destroys him.

Summary of “Researching Zhong Dian”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Domain of Time had not been destroyed but suppressed within a thousand-meter radius around the Sun-Moon World-Illuminating Mirror. After Zhong Dian’s death, the domain collapsed, freeing the Rescue Team members trapped throughout Mingzhu City.
• At the ruined barbecue stall, Chu Li, Cheng Xuejie, Lin Renmei, and Nameless examined Zhong Dian’s desiccated corpse. None knew exactly how he had died.
• Nameless theorized that Zhong Dian had used an uncontrollable ability on Lin Renmei, consuming so much of his lifespan that he killed himself. Lin Renmei connected this possibility to the lifespan-based abilities of the Zhu Chengmians she had defeated across countless Parallel Worlds.
• Nameless took responsibility for preserving Zhong Dian’s body so he could study it before giving it to the Medical Research Group.
• Chu Li worried about Nameless after seeing him hit by Zhong Dian’s attack, but Nameless revealed that he had not been injured. His Dragon Exoshell, built around the Dark King’s rune and the Base Runes, had completely resisted the attack.
• Bai Yating and the other Rescue Team members arrived about ten minutes later. After exchanging information, the mission was handed back to Bai Yating, allowing Nameless and Lin Renmei to leave.
• Back at Rescue Team headquarters, Nameless entered seclusion in the Inert Gold House and began examining Zhong Dian’s corpse.
• After removing Zhong Dian’s equipment, Nameless used Information Control to appraise his attributes. The appraisal revealed Zhong Dian’s time- and lifespan-based powers, his Transcender traits, and his Domain of Time.
• Nameless concluded that Zhong Dian was relatively weak for his rank. His abilities appeared poorly developed, suggesting that a powerful figure had forcibly elevated him rather than allowing him to cultivate naturally.
• Intrigued by the reference to the “King’s training,” Nameless decided to investigate Zhong Dian’s body directly.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Nameless demonstrates his usual calm, analytical nature. He is unshaken by Zhong Dian’s corpse and treats it as a source of valuable information. His confidence in the Dragon Exoshell is reinforced, as even Lin Renmei and Zhong Dian cannot meaningfully damage it.
• Lin Renmei remains physically overwhelming and nearly impossible to defeat through lifespan manipulation. Her experience fighting Zhu Chengmians helps her recognize the likely nature of Zhong Dian’s death.
• Chu Li shows concern for Nameless and remains confused by the battle’s outcome, emphasizing the vast difference between what ordinary team members witnessed and what Nameless understood.
• Cheng Xuejie admits that she does not know how Zhong Dian died, reflecting the mystery surrounding his final ability or failure.
• Bai Yating resumes command of the mission after arriving with the other rescued members.
• Zhong Dian is revealed to have been more powerful in rank than in actual ability development. His powers were dangerous but lacked the refinement and potential of Nameless’s abilities.

Significant Themes

• Power versus foundation: Zhong Dian possessed a high rank and formidable abilities, but Nameless recognizes that forced advancement cannot replace genuine cultivation and potential.
• Lifespan and mortality: Zhong Dian’s death appears linked to the dangerous cost of manipulating life and time. The chapter contrasts his limited lifespan with Lin Renmei’s seemingly limitless one.
• The limits of perception and information: Information Control cannot appraise living beings above its level, but death removes Zhong Dian’s resistance and allows Nameless to inspect him.
• The value of knowledge after victory: Rather than simply disposing of the defeated enemy, Nameless studies Zhong Dian’s remains to uncover information about his powers, origins, and possible connections to the mysterious King.
• Hidden influence and forced power: The phrase “the King’s training” hints that Zhong Dian may have been shaped or experimented on by a greater entity, opening questions about the forces behind his strength.

Important Character Interactions

• Chu Li, Cheng Xuejie, Lin Renmei, and Nameless discuss Zhong Dian’s unexplained death at the barbecue stall.
• Nameless and Lin Renmei share an understanding of the dangers of lifespan-based powers, with Nameless choosing not to challenge her limitless lifespan.
• Chu Li asks whether Nameless was injured, prompting Nameless to explain the strength and origin of the Dragon Exoshell.
• Bai Yating and the returning Rescue Team members exchange information with the group before taking control of the mission.
• Nameless privately investigates Zhong Dian, shifting the chapter from battlefield aftermath to scientific and supernatural examination.