Chapter Summaries

Feng Ling and Li Qing reasoned that Star Society had turned Ye Zheng into a Contaminant to punish her for killing the Labyrinth Master and disrupting the Maze merger. After watching news about the Northern Cleansing Operation, Feng Ling planned to ask Su Yuqing to investigate a possible mole among the Inspectors.

• Feng Ling, Li Qing, and Huangfu Miaomiao discussed what Star Society meant by “the next one” and why it had used Cards to corrupt Ye Zheng.
• Feng Ling concluded that Star Society had retaliated against Ye Zheng for killing the Labyrinth Master in Daling Forest and may have intended to frighten humanity.
• Feng Ling told Li Qing she would speak with Su Yuqing and ask him to help find a mole in the Inspector team.
• The group returned to the Sales Office, where Feng Ling watched a news report on the Northern Cleansing Operation and heard that Hunter Star International Group would discuss plans to expand the Hunter force at a press conference.

Feng Ling ignored the Contribution Value claim for the Hunter Cleansing Operation, while Pei Xianjue worried that Feng Ling’s falling rank would undermine publicity for the Hunter Alliance. Pei Xianjue later clashed with her cousin at a Hunter Star International Group branch before leaving for the Supervision Bureau.

• At the press conference, officials publicly explained the Black Mountain Town disaster as they promoted the Hunter Alliance Plan.
• Feng Ling told Pei Xianjue she had not claimed Contribution Value because she had killed no Contaminants worth reporting and did not care about her falling rank.
• Pei Xianjue worried that Feng Ling losing first place would spoil a publicity opportunity before the Hunter Alliance and Hunter Ranking were announced.
• Pei Xianjue left her office with her bodyguard Big Bear to return to the Supervision Bureau.
• At the elevator, Pei Xianjue traded barbs with her cousin, arguing that the Pei Clan Group benefited from her as much as she benefited from the family.

Pei Xianjue discovered that Star Hunter International had signed no female Hunters and confronted her uncle, Fourth Uncle Pei, about the decision. After hearing that Ye Zheng had died, she dropped her planned argument and began posting tributes online.

• Pei Xianjue recalled how her father had denied her a chance to join the Pei Clan Group after she failed to manage a small company.
• Pei Xianjue noticed that the newly contracted Hunters were all men and called the Personnel Department to ask why no women had been signed.
• The Personnel Department told Pei Xianjue that Fourth Uncle Pei had made the decision, so she called him for an explanation.
• Fourth Uncle Pei said the company had excluded female Hunters to control costs and maximize profits, and dismissed Pei Xianjue's concerns.
• Pei Xianjue saw a breaking alert announcing Ye Zheng's death, ended the call politely, and posted a tribute to Ye Zheng before starting another post.

Pei Xianjue prepared a social media post advocating more opportunities for women, while Feng Ling watched the aftermath of Ye Zheng’s death and prepared to move Ye Zheng toward an Idol. Su Yuqing transformed the building’s first floor into a rainforest habitat for Ye Zheng, then asked Feng Ling for the location of their next Maze.

• Pei Xianjue scheduled a post criticizing Star Hunter International’s contract practices and told Big Bear they could climb high together.
• Feng Ling read the reports about Ye Zheng’s death and suspected that the Supervisor General Bureau’s access to Ye Zheng’s Card meant officials might have seen evidence of a mole.
• Su Yuqing brought workers to the building and had them turn the first floor into a tropical rainforest habitat suited to Ye Zheng’s Royal Moth form.
• Feng Ling told Su Yuqing that Ye Zheng’s Corruption Value was 48% and that they needed to find an Idol within three days.
• Su Yuqing asked Feng Ling where they were going, and Feng Ling offered to send him the locations of their destination Maze and a Maze with Pollution Spread.

Feng Ling planned to search for a maze near the Pollution Spread site, while Baozi monitored Ye Zheng and identified four states in her mental condition. The chapter ended with Feng Ling asking Baozi to explain the fourth state.

• Feng Ling and Su Yuqing discussed the maze near the Labyrinth Administrator's death site and the need to report it to the local branch.
• Feng Ling arranged to travel by truck and looked forward to encountering Xenomorphs searching for the Labyrinth Administrator.
• Su Yuqing thanked Feng Ling, then left after the first-floor renovations were completed without mentioning Ye Zheng.
• Baozi finished monitoring Ye Zheng for the day, and Feng Ling worried about whether he would agree to enter a maze with her.
• Baozi described Ye Zheng's lucid, hunting, and pain states, and Feng Ling asked what the fourth state was.

Feng Ling learned that Ye Zheng’s legs had regrown and that her discomfort had turned into violent agitation. When an intruder entered the territory, Ye Zheng attacked him until Feng Ling stopped her and recognized him as Zhou Diao.

• Baozi advised Feng Ling to keep Ye Zheng hungry to extend her sleeping periods, and Feng Ling considered replacing him as her assistant.
• Feng Ling declined the option to use a virtual name for the Hunter Ranking and read Hunters debating whether to sign contracts with Star Hunter International.
• Ye Zheng entered the lobby after regrowing her legs and complained that she was uncomfortable in every position.
• Cat Owl’s screech alerted Feng Ling to an intruder, and Ye Zheng rushed outside and savagely attacked him.
• Feng Ling used Mental Pressure to restrain Ye Zheng, then recognized the bloodied intruder as Zhou Diao.

Zhou Diao broke into Feng Ling’s courtyard, where Ye Zheng’s Contaminant form poisoned and nearly killed him. After recognizing Ye Zheng, he fled without explaining himself, and Ye Zheng rushed into the building in distress.

• Zhou Diao climbed over Feng Ling’s courtyard wall and fought Ye Zheng, who poisoned him before Feng Ling and Huangfu Miaomiao treated his injuries.
• Feng Ling pushed Zhou Diao out through the gate as he complained that she kept a dangerous Contaminant in the city center and that Su Yuqing was covering for her.
• Outside, Zhou Diao recalled that he had secretly entered the Unfinished Building because he was curious about Su Yuqing’s frequent visits after news of Ye Zheng’s death.
• Zhou Diao realized Ye Zheng’s Contaminant form looked familiar, returned to the gate, and stared at Ye Zheng inside the courtyard.
• Zhou Diao left without confronting Ye Zheng, and Ye Zheng rushed into the building, roaring as Feng Ling told Baozi to let her vent.

Feng Ling kept Ye Zheng contained while preparing for the operation and eating a huge breakfast at their base. A televised press conference about Star Hunter International and Pei Xianjue’s public statements drew her attention, while Baozi went to watch Ye Zheng and Feng Ling asked Li Qing whether he had finished studying the Maze’s local customs.

• Ye Zheng rampaged through the building until she exhausted herself and fell asleep, while Feng Ling kept watch and resolved to hold on for three more days.
• Feng Ling ordered a large breakfast, and Huangfu Miaomiao and Baozi joined her at the bar counter.
• Li Qing turned on the television, where a reporter questioned Star Hunter International about Pei Xianjue’s statements and the absence of women from its announced Hunter list.
• Baozi suggested that Pei Xianjue’s remarks might benefit her or have Mr. Pei’s tacit approval, and Feng Ling called her calculating.
• After breakfast, Baozi went to watch Ye Zheng, and Feng Ling asked Li Qing whether he had finished studying the Maze’s local folk culture.

Li Qing told Feng Ling that the Labyrinth Administrator they planned to help was being hunted by three Players, possibly the same Xenomorphs Ye Zheng had encountered. Su Yuqing explained that Zhou Diao’s devotion to Ye Zheng came from her saving and training him, leaving Feng Ling with the reason he had broken in after Ye Zheng’s transformation.

• Li Qing said the Administrator needed help soon because three Players were searching near the Maze entrance, and he described one as a very tall woman with the ability to alter parts of her body.
• Feng Ling connected the tall Player to the group Ye Zheng had encountered and hoped the straw-hatted Player was among them.
• Su Yuqing arrived to install floodlights beneath the building, and Feng Ling asked whether Zhou Diao would reveal that Ye Zheng was with her.
• Su Yuqing assured Feng Ling that Zhou Diao would keep the secret and explained that Ye Zheng had saved him from Xenomorphs, trained him, and entrusted him with protecting Qingjiang City.
• Su Yuqing said Zhou Diao treated Ye Zheng’s words as his faith and was likely suffering even more than he was over her transformation into a Contaminant.

Feng Ling arranged for Su Yuqing to obtain a powerful sedative for the Maze expedition and urged him to visit Ye Zheng before she left. After taking out the trash, Feng Ling spotted Zhou Diao outside and encouraged him to go see her.

• Feng Ling asked Su Yuqing for help finding someone with mental-control abilities, and he offered to obtain prohibited sedatives instead.
• Su Yuqing prepared to leave without seeing Ye Zheng until Feng Ling warned that the Maze could be his last chance; he then headed toward the building.
• Feng Ling told Huangfu Miaomiao and Li Qing to call Ye Zheng Situ Zhengzheng so they would not expose her identity.
• Feng Ling, Huangfu Miaomiao, and Li Qing carried bags of trash outside, where Feng Ling found Zhou Diao waiting nearby.
• Feng Ling told Zhou Diao to go see Ye Zheng and suggested he climb over the wall, causing him to stumble.

Feng Ling prepared for a long trip with Ye Zheng while the Supervision Bureau investigated Ye Zheng’s apparent transformation and discussed Feng Ling’s growing abilities. After Wen Xiuyan and the others were interviewed, Su Yuqing called Xu Yiming to recruit helpers for Feng Ling.

• Feng Ling let Zhou Diao move into the Sales Office and Su Yuqing visit him, while she spent three days building up energy before her trip with Ye Zheng.
• Feng Ling saw Pei Xianjue’s sudden fame and the leak of the real-name Hunter Leaderboard become online controversies.
• Technicians recovered footage from Ye Zheng’s phone, identified her as a heavily corrupted Contaminant, and the Bureau’s leaders debated her fate and whether to support Feng Ling.
• Wen Xiuyan, Wu Wei, and Liang Jiaqin left their interview at the Supervisor General Bureau, and Wen Xiuyan excitedly recounted how Feng Ling had handled the Contaminant.
• Su Yuqing called Xu Yiming to find helpers for Feng Ling, and Xu Yiming immediately volunteered.

Feng Ling and Huangfu Miaomiao set out for Guangshan City with Xu Yiming and Cao Hongyi, hoping to find a Maze. During the drive, Xu Yiming shared stories about his past with Ye Zheng and Su Yuqing, while Su Yuqing watched them leave without getting a chance to say goodbye to Ye Zheng.

• Feng Ling watched the televised funeral for Ye Zheng and two other Inspectors before Su Yuqing arrived with Xu Yiming and Cao Hongyi.
• Su Yuqing explained that Cao Hongyi and Xu Yiming would take turns driving the group to Guangshan City, where Cao Hongyi would return to Qingjiang and Xu Yiming would stay.
• Feng Ling, Huangfu Miaomiao, Ye Zheng, the Cat Spider, and the Cat Owl boarded the prepared truck and set out for Guangshan City.
• Su Yuqing watched the truck depart and regretted that Xu Yiming's presence had kept him from speaking to Ye Zheng alone.
• Xu Yiming told Feng Ling that he and Ye Zheng had been school friends, then recounted how killing a Xenomorph to protect his dog had led him to become a Hunter.

Feng Ling and the others discussed the declining Exo-Star Forum and learned Xu Yiming had recognized Li Qing as the former poster Green Weasel. As the Truck drove through a downpour toward Guangshan City, Huangfu Miaomiao discovered the city had been placed under lockdown.

• Xu Yiming told Feng Ling and Huangfu Miaomiao how he had moved to Yunhai City and found the Exo-Star Forum through Su Yuqing.
• Feng Ling revealed that Li Qing had written the Forum's featured and pinned posts under the name Green Weasel.
• Li Qing explained that he had shared information so humans forced into the game could learn its rules, and said he now stood with Feng Ling.
• Huangfu Miaomiao said she stood with Feng Ling, while Xu Yiming felt uneasy about Feng Ling's close bond with the Xenomorphs.
• The Truck drove through torrential rain as Feng Ling asked Huangfu Miaomiao to check Guangshan City's weather.
• Huangfu Miaomiao found that Guangshan City was under lockdown, and Feng Ling wondered why.

Feng Ling and her companions learned that Guangshan City was locked down to capture a Xenomorph and continued their journey toward the city. At an outer-ring checkpoint, officers searching their vehicle found boxes of guns, ammunition, and grenades, and called Captain Han.

• Feng Ling and Xu Yiming found a wanted notice for Dai Tianle and discussed the Xenomorphs, Guangshan City's understaffed Inspectors, and the citywide lockdown.
• Xu Yiming, Feng Ling, Cao Hongyi, Huangfu Miaomiao, and Ye Zheng continued traveling through heavy rain, with Feng Ling sedating Ye Zheng again after the medicine wore off.
• At a checkpoint on Guangshan City's outer ring road, Cao Hongyi told Feng Ling that the officers insisted on searching their vehicle despite seeing their credentials.
• A police officer opened boxes in the cargo compartment and discovered guns, ammunition, and grenades.
• The officer ordered everyone not to move and radioed Captain Han to report a major discovery.

Feng Ling and her companions reached Guangshan City after Captain Han Xu recognized her and ordered the checkpoints to let their truck pass. She followed Li Qing’s coordinates into a deserted Pedestrian Street to find the Labyrinth Administrator, but no one was in sight.

• Cao Hongyi and Xu Yiming tried to convince the checkpoint officers that their group was legitimate while the officers waited for Captain Han Xu.
• Han Xu arrived, recognized Feng Ling, cleared the truck to travel through the city, and offered her support against the Xenomorphs.
• Feng Ling saved Han Xu’s contact information, and Cao Hongyi drove the truck past the checkpoint after officers removed the spike strip.
• Feng Ling, Ye Zheng, Li Qing, and Huangfu Miaomiao left the truck and walked toward the coordinates where Li Qing expected to find the Labyrinth Administrator.
• Li Qing confirmed the location on the deserted Pedestrian Street, but Feng Ling could not see anyone nearby.

Feng Ling met the Crow Administrator through Li Qing and learned that Players had attacked him near a likely Maze entrance on Pedestrian Street. With Guangshan City under lockdown, the Xenomorphs had disappeared for now, so Feng Ling planned to find them another way the next day.

• Li Qing introduced the Crow as the Labyrinth Administrator, and he agreed to cooperate with Feng Ling despite the Xenomorphs being absent during the lockdown.
• The Crow indicated that the Players had first encountered him on a nearby rooftop, which Li Qing identified as a likely Maze entrance.
• Li Qing reported that one Player used a Gu Worm Master Card to send snakes and Rats through the city's drainage pipes to hunt the Crow.
• The Crow explained that he was hiding on an old man's balcony disguised as a myna, and Feng Ling told him to stay hidden until they contacted him again.
• Feng Ling returned to Cao Hongyi and Xu Yiming, said the Xenomorphs would likely return to Pedestrian Street, and told them to rest while she pursued another plan the next day.

Feng Ling helped Huangfu Miaomiao set a trap on the Player Forum to draw out Star Society members in Guangshan City. A Player agreed to meet Huangfu Miaomiao outside the breakfast shop that night, leaving her anxious about the encounter.

• Feng Ling paid a breakfast shop owner to let the truck stay parked and bought rice noodle rolls for breakfast.
• Feng Ling told Huangfu Miaomiao to advertise Labyrinth Administrator coordinates on the Player Forum to attract Star Society Players.
• Huangfu Miaomiao posted the listing and received messages from several Players, while Feng Ling instructed her how to answer them.
• Huangfu Miaomiao arranged to meet a Player outside the breakfast shop at nine that night, then nervously asked Feng Ling what to say.

Feng Ling prepared a sting operation to locate the Xenomorphs’ nest and sent Huangfu Miaomiao to follow the Player who had arranged to meet her. As curfew approached, Huangfu Miaomiao waited nervously near the breakfast shop while officers cleared the street.

• Feng Ling instructed Huangfu Miaomiao to hide from the Player, follow her as a Ghost Shadow, and use a Micro Camera to report the Xenomorphs’ nest.
• Feng Ling coordinated with Han Xu, who provided a secluded Construction Site where the group parked the Truck as a temporary base.
• Feng Ling set up the Micro Camera on Huangfu Miaomiao’s Butterfly Hairpin and confirmed that its signal was stable.
• Cao Hongyi left for Qingjiang, and Xu Yiming drove the Truck near the breakfast shop as Huangfu Miaomiao waited for the 9 p.m. meeting.
• A Patrol Car arrived at 8 p.m., and officers began clearing street vendors ahead of curfew while an elderly vendor complained about losing income.

Feng Ling sent Huangfu Miaomiao to wait alone for a Player near the Breakfast Shop while the others returned to the Construction Site. After the Player failed to find her, Huangfu Miaomiao spotted a terrifying woman watching the street from a rooftop and claimed she had been delayed, postponing the meeting until tomorrow.

• Feng Ling told Huangfu Miaomiao to leave the Truck and hide nearby while the others returned to the Construction Site.
• Huangfu Miaomiao slipped along the dark street and hid in a screen window after the Patrol Car and street vendors left.
• A Player messaged Huangfu Miaomiao asking where she was and accused her of messing around when she did not appear at the Breakfast Shop.
• Huangfu Miaomiao reasoned that the Player might be watching from a rooftop and cautiously climbed up to look.
• Huangfu Miaomiao spotted a tall, skeletal woman on a roof and messaged the Player that the Patrol Squad had delayed her and they should meet tomorrow.

Huangfu Miaomiao followed the Tall Thin Woman to a KTV Club that served as the Players’ hideout while Feng Ling’s group tracked them. She decided to infiltrate the club and slipped inside with the Micro Camera, leaving the Butterfly Hairpin behind.

• Huangfu Miaomiao hid from the Tall Thin Woman as she searched nearby residences with her impossibly long neck, then followed her when she left the block.
• Feng Ling, Li Qing, and Xu Yiming watched Huangfu Miaomiao’s camera feed and drove toward Green Square to follow the Tall Thin Woman.
• Ye Zheng woke inside the truck, and Feng Ling told her she would soon give her a present.
• Huangfu Miaomiao followed the Tall Thin Woman to a brightly lit KTV Club and recognized it as the Players’ hideout.
• Huangfu Miaomiao decided to investigate the KTV Club, removed the Butterfly Hairpin, and entered while wrapped around the Micro Camera.