Chapter Summaries

Feng Ling’s team followed a wolf-like Infected girl through the Maze after she recognized Li Yu’s Scale Pendant. They found a village of Infected beneath a gigantic tree and reunited with Li Yu.

• Lin Pengpeng attacked the Wolf Girl, then stopped when she spoke; Feng Ling identified her as an Infected with enhanced physical coordination.
• The Wolf Girl recognized Li Yu’s Scale Pendant and led the team onward, while Feng Ling noticed that the huge Red Dot had disappeared.
• The group crossed several crude wooden bridges over the Black Swamp and reached a village where many Infected lived beneath a Giant Tree.
• The Wolf Girl pointed out Li Yu, and Lin Pengpeng rushed to him as he woke and cried with relief at seeing his teammates.

Li Yu reunited with his companions after surviving a Syrin Bird attack, and told them about a safe swamp settlement and a man who could help them search for the Golden Egg. Feng Ling and the others went into the Giant Tree to find Old Hat, where they discovered an Idol.

• Li Yu explained that he survived the Syrin Birds by staying still, then escaped their nest and was rescued by Soldiers near the swamp.
• Feng Ling noticed a huge Red Dot close to Li Yu and suspected something was hiding in the swamp, though no one else saw it.
• The group decided to leave Li Yu resting while they searched for a Golden Egg, and Li Yu told them Old Hat inside the Giant Tree could translate for them.
• Feng Ling, Huangfu Miaomiao, Lin Pengpeng, Wang Xunmei, and Zhang Lu left Li Yu and headed into the Giant Tree to find Old Hat.
• Feng Ling entered the tree and spotted a table-shaped Idol.

Feng Ling found the Idol in the tree hollow and asked Old Hat about locating a Golden Egg. Before leaving to reunite with Li Yu, she suggested Cards might help the Infected, leaving Old Hat and the others shaken by the possibility that they could be cured.

• Huangfu Miaomiao spotted the Idol, and Feng Ling asked Old Hat if he knew where to find a Golden Egg.
• Old Hat explained that the Infected stayed by the Giant Tree because they believed it let them die peacefully, while Feng Ling suspected the swamp monster was numbing their pain.
• Feng Ling offered to find Cards for the Infected and suggested they try absorbing them, astonishing Old Hat.
• Feng Ling left with Huangfu Miaomiao and the others to find Li Yu and get a luck buff before returning to use the Idol.
• Old Hat told an old woman that Feng Ling had proposed trying Cards, and she froze in disbelief.

Oliya persuaded Old Hat and the other Infected to help Feng Ling find the Golden Egg in hopes of obtaining Cards for the young survivors. After reducing her Corruption Value with a Luck buff, Feng Ling refused to leave the maze and resolved to find the egg to prove she could break its rules.

• Oliya urged Old Hat to let Vera and Tiger try to obtain Cards, and he agreed to gather everyone to discuss helping Feng Ling find the Golden Egg.
• Li Yu gave Feng Ling and the others Luck buffs, while Lin Pengpeng argued they should leave the maze once Feng Ling's Corruption Value fell.
• Feng Ling used the card-drawing interface and lost her Puppeteer Card, lowering her Corruption Value to 26%.
• Huangfu Miaomiao celebrated that they could go home, but Feng Ling insisted they still had to find the Golden Egg.
• Feng Ling told Lin Pengpeng she wanted to find the Golden Egg to prove she could break the maze's rules, leaving Lin Pengpeng baffled by her sudden laughter.

Feng Ling agreed to follow Old Hat’s lead toward the Golden Egg, bringing several Infected and Huangfu Miaomiao along. Lin Pengpeng, Wang Xunmei, and Zhang Lu joined her, leaving Li Yu behind as the group ventured into the forest.

• Feng Ling told Lin Pengpeng, Wang Xunmei, and Zhang Lu that she wanted to find the Golden Egg, and Old Hat arrived with a lead.
• Old Hat showed Feng Ling a rough map and said a huge golden Syrin Bird had been seen near the area where its nests were believed to lie.
• Old Hat assigned Tiger, Vera, Ilina, Anton, and Kirill to guide Feng Ling, who agreed to take them along despite uncertainty about helping their infections.
• Lin Pengpeng, Wang Xunmei, and Zhang Lu decided to follow Feng Ling and joined the expedition.
• The ten-person group left the Giant Tree, passed Li Yu, and disappeared into the forest as a member of Tidal Wave Squad sensed something and looked into the distance.

Tidal Wave Squad hunted Centaurs to prepare for an operation against War God Sventovit, while Leland learned that a Xenomorph and a Contaminant might disrupt their plan. Elsewhere, Feng Ling found a Golden Syrin Bird nest, and an enraged Centaur charged into the forest where her group was waiting.

• Gene nearly exposed Tidal Wave Squad after sensing a Xenomorph and a Contaminant, so Leland ordered the team to speed up its Centaur hunt.
• Leland said the squad had killed six Centaurs and needed to kill at least twenty more before facing Sventovit and its remaining herd.
• A Syrin Bird tore fur from a dozing Centaur, provoking it to chase the bird toward the forest.
• Feng Ling found a Golden Syrin Bird nest and examined a golden feather while Vera showed her the fur missing from her back.
• Feng Ling told the noncombatants to climb the trees, and Lin Pengpeng charged when a Centaur burst into the forest.

Lin Pengpeng, Wang Xunmei, and Zhang Lu killed a Centaur, while Feng Ling watched and gave them advice. Feng Ling spotted a Golden Syrin Bird, but it and the other birds fled when Tidal Wave Squad approached.

• Lin Pengpeng wounded the Centaur from its back, and Wang Xunmei struck it with her Wolf Fang Club, letting Lin Pengpeng finish it by piercing its heart.
• Wang Xunmei and Zhang Lu dragged the Centaur’s corpse off Lin Pengpeng, and Feng Ling advised Wang Xunmei to try fighting with her fists.
• Feng Ling noticed Tidal Wave Squad approaching and led the others away from the Centaur’s corpse.
• Feng Ling saw a Golden Syrin Bird watching from a tree, but it flew away along with the other Syrin Birds when Tidal Wave Squad arrived.

Feng Ling and her group were surrounded by Tidal Wave Squad, whose member Gene identified her as a Contaminant. Feng Ling challenged his ability and argued that she could control Xenomorphs and Contaminants, but Gene demanded proof, leaving a confrontation imminent.

• Lin Pengpeng proposed asking Tidal Wave Squad to help them cross the swamp, while Feng Ling warned she could not fight without risking recognition.
• Tidal Wave Squad surrounded Feng Ling’s group, and Leland accused them of sheltering a Xenomorph and a Contaminant.
• Gene used his Necromancer Card Ability to identify Feng Ling as a Contaminant by the red color around her.
• Huangfu Miaomiao worried that Feng Ling might have mutated, but Feng Ling insisted Gene’s Card was unreliable.
• Feng Ling criticized Gene’s method and argued that controlling Xenomorphs and Contaminants could explain why she appeared red.
• Gene said Feng Ling had to prove she could control them, while Leland remained uncertain about her explanation.

Lin Pengpeng argued with Tidal Wave Squad over their demand to verify the group’s identities, while Feng Ling realized Gene was using Mental Pressure against her companions. Feng Ling stepped toward Gene to counter him.

• Lin Pengpeng rejected Leland’s demand that Feng Ling prove she could control Xenomorphs, and Tiger backed her claim that both groups had come to help Lorias.
• Leland accused Lin Pengpeng’s group of causing trouble and threatened to act unless they explained their identities and purpose, prompting his teammates to tighten their encirclement.
• Lin Pengpeng revealed that her Micro Camera had recorded the confrontation and said her teammates would bring the footage out if she died.
• Gene accused Feng Ling of being a Hunter whose Corruption Value had exceeded the safe threshold and claimed the group had come to use the Maze’s Idol to lower it.
• Gene’s Mental Pressure weakened Lin Pengpeng, Wang Xunmei, and Zhang Lu, so Feng Ling stepped toward him to respond.

Feng Ling used her Mental Power to make Gene call her “Mom,” then led her group deeper into the forest while the Tidal Wave Squad watched. Leland vowed to take revenge on the woman he knew as Aisha, and his team refocused on hunting Sventovit.

• Feng Ling softened Gene with her affinity-based Mental Power, causing him to call her “Mom,” then told Lin Pengpeng to keep the Tidal Wave Squad away from the forest.
• Lin Pengpeng warned the Tidal Wave Squad not to interfere, and her group continued deeper into the forest to find another Golden Syrin Bird nest.
• When Leland demanded Feng Ling’s name, she told Lin Pengpeng to give him the false name Aisha, and Leland vowed to make her regret humiliating him.
• After Feng Ling’s group left, Leland vented his anger by punching a tree, while Gene explained that Feng Ling’s Mental Power had suppressed his Soul Control.
• Evelyn and the others calmed Leland and reminded him that the squad needed to defeat Sventovit; Leland then planned to separate the Centaurs and asked whether anyone knew Aisha.

Feng Ling and her companions searched for the Golden Syrin Bird’s egg, then pursued the bird toward the Tidal Wave Squad’s battle with the Centaurs. They found the squad defeated but alive, and Feng Ling confronted Leland about keeping his promise.

• After escaping the Tidal Wave Squad, Feng Ling joked about going back to kill them, then continued searching the forest with her companions.
• The Little Third Children found no Golden Egg in the nests, so Feng Ling guessed it might be inside the Golden Syrin Bird and planned to catch it.
• A battle stirred up the Centaurs and drew the Golden Syrin Bird toward the smoke, so Feng Ling and the others pursued it.
• The group reached the hills after the battle and found the Centaur Chieftain still alive while the Tidal Wave Squad had been defeated.
• Feng Ling found Leland hiding in the grass, battered but alive, and told him he had kept his promise by giving her quite a show.

Feng Ling learned how Sventovit defeated Leland’s squad while planning to catch a Golden Syrin Bird and find the Golden Egg. She took Tiger and Vera to approach the bird, ordered the others to wait, and warned Leland not to interfere again.

• Leland explained that Sventovit’s roar broke his Mental Pressure and disoriented his squad, while its body split into four humanoid monsters; Lin Pengpeng translated the key details for Feng Ling.
• Leland insisted he would recover within half an hour and defeat Sventovit with his Second Form, but Feng Ling focused on the Golden Syrin Bird and the Golden Egg.
• Feng Ling asked Tiger whether he could hit the bird from their position, and Vera translated his answer that his weapon was effective only within one hundred meters.
• Feng Ling refused Huangfu Miaomiao’s offer to sneak closer, then told Lin Pengpeng to have Tidal Wave Squad wait until she caught the bird.
• Feng Ling chose to take Tiger and Vera with her and warned Leland not to cause the same trouble for a third time.

Leland and Lin Pengpeng watched the Centaurs gather near Gene while Feng Ling charged toward the wounded Golden Syrin Bird. Convinced the reckless move endangered both Feng Ling and Gene, Leland transformed and went down the hill to save them.

• Lin Pengpeng explained that Aisha wanted Tidal Wave Squad to stop disrupting the Golden Syrin Bird operation, while Evelyn reported that Kate was injured and Gene was missing.
• Evelyn spotted Gene unconscious in Centaur territory, and Lin Pengpeng stopped Leland from rushing to rescue him until the herd could be handled.
• A gunshot wounded the Golden Syrin Bird and drew the Centaurs toward Sventovit as Feng Ling charged down the opposite slope.
• Leland accused Lin Pengpeng of provoking him and endangering Feng Ling and Gene, then transformed into a liquid-metal giant and strode down the hill.

Feng Ling was struck by Sventovit's roar and a Centaur, then unleashed her fury in a devastating burst of Mental Pressure. She slaughtered the Centaurs and left Sventovit beaten and helpless, while Leland collapsed out of his Second Form and Lin Pengpeng’s group worried about the consequences.

• Tiger wounded a Golden Syrin Bird, and Feng Ling charged down the slope to capture it as Sventovit prepared to roar.
• Leland transformed into his Second Form and shouted for Aisha to hold on, distracting Feng Ling just as Sventovit’s roar hit her.
• A Centaur rammed Feng Ling and sent her crashing face-first into the dirt, prompting her to unleash Mental Pressure across the area.
• Feng Ling’s Mental Pressure disabled the Centaurs and overwhelmed Leland, forcing him out of his Second Form and leaving him unconscious.
• Feng Ling slaughtered the helpless Centaurs while Spike and Fangs and Claws battered Sventovit into a bloody heap.
• Lin Pengpeng urged the others to get Leland out of Feng Ling’s Mental Pressure range, and Huangfu Miaomiao said she would handle it.

Feng Ling ended the threat on the plains, found a Golden Egg, and let Lorias’s Infected collect the four Cards. Leland objected when Tiger absorbed one, but then revealed that he knew something the others did not about the Infected.

• Huangfu Miaomiao used Leland’s coat and the Human-faced Crows to protect him while Feng Ling’s Mental Pressure kept him unconscious.
• Feng Ling found a Golden Egg inside the Golden Syrin Bird, and her Mental Pressure lifted, allowing everyone and everything on the plains to move again.
• Feng Ling asked Huangfu Miaomiao to bring Vera and the others to collect the four Cards, explaining that the Cards likely belonged to Lorias’s Infected.
• Leland found the badly injured Gene, who urged him to absorb the Labyrinth Boss’s Cards, but Leland refused to claim Cards from a fight he had not won.
• Tiger absorbed a Card, and Leland angrily protested that Cards should not be wasted on Infected; Lin Pengpeng defended the choice, and Leland said they did not know about that matter yet.

Feng Ling’s group completed the Golden Egg mission and prepared to summon the Chicken-Foot House, while Feng Ling sent Huangfu Miaomiao to secretly record Tidal Wave Squad. Leland revealed to his team that the Cards could be used to create Scarecrows that protected areas from Xenomorph log-ins, and Evelyn spotted a pink cartoon watch in the grass.

• Feng Ling kept her promise to give the Cards to the Infected and left the decision to absorb them up to them.
• Huangfu Miaomiao received the mission completion notification, and Feng Ling told her to follow Leland’s team and record their conversation.
• Two Infected hesitated to absorb the Cards, prompting Lin Pengpeng to go ask Leland what he had meant.
• Leland told Evelyn that four high-tier Cards could cultivate Scarecrows to protect areas from Xenomorph log-ins, but he had withheld that information from the Infected.
• Evelyn noticed a pink cartoon watch in the grass and pointed it out to Leland.

After Leland’s squad accepted Lin Pengpeng’s help evacuating their injured teammates, Huangfu Miaomiao used the Golden Egg to bring everyone to the Giant Tree in Chicken-Foot House. Feng Ling sensed that the swamp might be part of a nearby enormous creature, then asked Little Skeleton to test whether the Golden Egg could store the Idol.

• Leland apologized to Lin Pengpeng after she offered a companion’s healing ability to help Gene and Kate.
• Lin Pengpeng explained that Chicken-Foot House was a Safe House unlocked by completing the Golden Egg task.
• Huangfu Miaomiao controlled Chicken-Foot House with the Golden Egg and carried both groups rapidly across the swamp to the Giant Tree.
• The Infected went to report to Old Hat and Oliya, while Tidal Wave Squad followed Lin Pengpeng to see Li Yu.
• Feng Ling noticed the enormous Red Dot again and suspected the living swamp might be part of its body.
• Huangfu Miaomiao discovered the Golden Egg could store objects, and Feng Ling asked Little Skeleton to test it on the Idol.

Feng Ling helped Huangfu Miaomiao loosen and store the Smiling God Statue, then checked on the injured Tidal Wave Squad and the Infected who had absorbed Cards. As the group prepared to leave the Maze, the swamp suddenly surged into a towering wall and blocked their path.

• Feng Ling transformed into a Flood Dragon Serpent and pried the Smiling God Statue loose so Huangfu Miaomiao could store it with the Golden Egg.
• Huangfu Miaomiao stored the statue, and the collapsing soil filled the deep pit it left behind.
• Feng Ling asked Lin Pengpeng about the Tidal Wave Squad and the Card-absorbing Infected; Lin Pengpeng said the squad's injuries were under control, Tiger hoped to prove his pollution was contained, and Vera had given up her Card opportunity for four others.
• Oliya thanked the departing group, and Lin Pengpeng and Wang Xunmei became tearful as they said goodbye.
• The Chicken-Foot House shook violently, and Feng Ling saw the swamp rise into a towering wall that blocked the road ahead.

Feng Ling and the others were trapped inside the Chicken-Foot House by the Swamp Giant, but the Infected’s prayers to Mother Mat calmed it and allowed them to escape. Feng Ling realized the Infected had long known the monster lived beneath the Giant Tree and had accepted their fate as its fertilizer.

• The Swamp Giant surrounded the Chicken-Foot House, and Leland prepared to buy time for the others to flee.
• Huangfu Miaomiao insisted the Safe House was protected by the Maze’s rules, while Feng Ling suspected the creature had appeared because she took the Labyrinth Divine Statue.
• Oliya and the Infected knelt and begged Mother Mat to let the group leave, and the Swamp Giant lowered its wall of swamp instead of attacking.
• Huangfu Miaomiao drove the Chicken-Foot House away as the Swamp Giant remained still, and Lin Pengpeng identified Mat Zemlya as an ancient Slavic mother goddess associated with earth and water.
• Feng Ling concluded that the Infected had always known about the monster beneath the Giant Tree and willingly awaited their return to Mother Earth.

Feng Ling and the others escaped the Maze but emerged across the border, where they could not safely approach the military line; Feng Ling claimed she had connections who could help. Back in Qingjiang City, Su Yuqing confronted Ye Zheng about reports of a Hunter resembling Feng Ling, and his phone rang before he could learn more.

• Chicken-Foot House carried Feng Ling and the others out of the Maze, then ran back inside after Huangfu Miaomiao crossed the boundary without storing it in the Golden Egg.
• Feng Ling warned the group that the bombed buffer zone ahead was dangerous and said she had connections who could help them.
• Su Yuqing arrived at the Financial Center Building while Observers Zou Kai and Dou Shuran discussed Feng Ling's recovery and their mission.
• Ye Zheng insisted that Feng Ling was recovering in the Nest Body, while Su Yuqing told her that Lorias was searching for a Hunter who resembled Feng Ling.
• Su Yuqing accepted Ye Zheng's explanation, but his phone rang before the conversation continued.