Chapter Summaries

Feng Ling, Ye Zheng, and Li Qing discussed Huangfu Miaomiao’s message and the Star Society, then planned to use its internal conflict to help rescue her and gain access to an Abyss Labyrinth. Feng Ling asked Xiao Shu to lead them to a Maze entrance and offered him the Cards as a reward.

• Ye Zheng questioned Xiao Shu about how he had obtained Huangfu Miaomiao’s watch, and Feng Ling took Ye Zheng and Li Qing aside to discuss the memo.
• Li Qing confirmed Huangfu Miaomiao had been muted by a Senior Administrator and explained that he lacked the authority to unmute her.
• Li Qing speculated that Administrators might treat the Mazes as entertainment, while Feng Ling and Ye Zheng discussed the Star Society’s conflict and how to rescue Huangfu Miaomiao.
• Feng Ling decided to create chaos to draw out the Star Society’s officers and asked Xiao Shu where they could find a Senior Administrator.
• Xiao Shu told Feng Ling about a team expected to leave a Maze around noon, and Feng Ling told him to lead them there and choose whatever Cards he wanted as his reward.

Feng Ling and her companions collected Cards from the fallen Players, then discovered that a Shadow Warrior Card had vanished. As Feng Ling flew toward the Abyss Labyrinth with Xiao Shu, Meteor secretly digested the stolen Card and resolved to rely on herself.

• Feng Ling chose four Cards for Nest Building, bringing her total to seven eggs, while Li Qing selected a Porcupine Card for Xiao Shu.
• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng fed the corpses to Kite, but they left the remaining Cards behind because storing them in Ye Zheng's Squirrel risked further genetic contamination.
• Feng Ling discovered that the Shadow Warrior Card was missing from a black-clothed Player's corpse, and neither Ye Zheng, Li Qing, nor Xiao Shu admitted to taking it.
• Meteor hid behind curtains as she digested the Shadow Warrior Card, reflected on losing the Hive and Poet's disappearance, and decided she had to rely on herself.
• Feng Ling flew toward the Abyss Labyrinth with Xiao Shu and told him to distract the Players while she tried to snatch the Labyrinth Administrator.
• Xiao Shu asked for Miaomiao's watch so he could fulfill their contract and earn ten thousand Points, and Feng Ling agreed as long as he followed her instructions.

Feng Ling ambushed a Player team outside the Abyss Labyrinth, pursuing them to recover the cage held by their Leader. The Players fled into the Maze, and Feng Ling followed close behind.

• Feng Ling waited with Xiao Shu outside the Abyss Labyrinth while Ye Zheng, the Cat Spider, and Li Qing prepared to support them from the Kite.
• Whiskers mocked Xiao Shu and demanded eight hundred Points to take him into the Maze, but the Leader noticed Xiao Shu glance toward Feng Ling's hiding place.
• After Whiskers heard Feng Ling sigh and demanded she come out, Feng Ling revealed herself as a Hidden Boss and killed him as the Players fled.
• Feng Ling pursued the Players with the Human-faced Crows while the Kite descended, and the Leader abandoned a slower Player to die.
• The Leader ran into the Maze entrance to escape, the remaining Players followed, and Feng Ling charged in after them.

After the Maze entrance closed behind Feng Ling, Ye Zheng and Li Qing were left outside while Feng Ling pursued the fleeing Xenomorphs. The Leader led three Players toward Manola’s territory to lure the Hidden Boss, while Xiao Shu remained behind to deal with the Flying Head Ghosts.

• Ye Zheng jumped into the Maze just before its entrance vanished, but Li Qing, the Cat Spider, and the Great Kite were left outside.
• Ye Zheng explained that Xiao Shu could reopen the Maze entrance by accepting and abandoning a quest after Feng Ling seized the Labyrinth Administrator.
• Li Qing warned that the Star Society might ambush Feng Ling outside, so he and Ye Zheng decided to hide nearby while the Great Kite ate Xenomorph corpses.
• Feng Ling followed the Leader and the fleeing Xenomorphs into the Flying Head Ghosts’ territory, then told Xiao Shu to stay behind and kill the grounded monsters.
• The Leader brought three Players toward Manola’s lake and gave them earplugs, planning to use the Birdman’s hallucinatory song to attack the Hidden Boss.

Feng Ling killed Big Head, a Player who had trusted the Safe Zone to protect him, then chose not to pursue the fleeing Leader. She returned to Xiao Shu, learned more about the Maze, and placed an eyeball on his forehead as she prepared to hatch the Stone Armadillos.

• The Leader tried to persuade the Players to raid a Hidden Boss, but two refused and logged off; Big Head stayed because he wanted Cards.
• Feng Ling pursued the Xenomorph to a Bamboo Pavilion and killed Big Head despite his confidence that the Safe Zone would protect him.
• The Leader fled, and Feng Ling avoided chasing him because she feared being drawn away from the Maze entrance and its Administrator.
• Feng Ling collected the Cards from Big Head's corpse and decided to hatch her two matured Stone Armadillo Cards so she could build a team of helpers.
• Feng Ling returned to Xiao Shu, asked where stronger Monsters lived, and learned about the Manolas and their hallucinatory songs.
• Feng Ling removed an eyeball from her palm and slapped it onto Xiao Shu's forehead.

Feng Ling sent Xiao Shu to lure large Monsters from the islands beyond the Suspension Bridge, then used Mental Pressure to subdue the lizards he led back. When lizards in the lake attacked her with high-pressure water jets, she discovered that the water seemed to block her Mental Power.

• Feng Ling ordered Xiao Shu to cross the Suspension Bridge and lure large Monsters while she waited near the Maze entrance.
• Xiao Shu crossed to the islands, attracted a swarm of lizards, and used the Porcupine Card's skill to escape across the bridge.
• Feng Ling subdued the lizards on shore with Mental Pressure and severed their limbs to preserve their fresh flesh for energy.
• Lizards hidden underwater struck Feng Ling with high-pressure water jets, and she found that her Mental Pressure did not affect them through the lake water.

Feng Ling hatched two Stone Armadillos from Lizards and let Xiao Shu kill the remaining wounded ones for Points, but the blood drew the Labyrinth Boss from the lake. The Serpent Monster severed Feng Ling’s arm with concealed blades before retreating, and Feng Ling concluded its attacks could reach at most one hundred meters.

• Feng Ling killed several Lizards with a grenade, dragged them ashore, and hatched two large Stone Armadillos from the fattest ones.
• Feng Ling drained energy from a Lizard and told Xiao Shu to kill the dying Lizards for Points, which he eagerly did.
• The fog turned red as a huge Serpent Monster approached through the lake, and Xiao Shu identified it as the Abyss Boss.
• Feng Ling told the Armadillos to hide and prepared to leave, but the Serpent Monster attacked with blades concealed by high-speed water and cut off her forearm and part of her scalp.
• Feng Ling explained the attack to Xiao Shu and observed that the Serpent Monster could not come ashore; after it withdrew, she estimated its range at no more than one hundred meters.

Feng Ling searched for the Xenomorph who had taken the Administrator while Naga's attack threatened to expose the Star Society Leader. The Leader fled into the woods with the cage as a Human-faced Crow spotted him.

• Feng Ling learned from Xiao Shu that the lake monster was Naga, Lord of the Abyss River, then headed toward the Maze entrance to resume her search for the Xenomorph.
• Feng Ling's two newly hatched Armadillos rolled through the woods, crushing trees, and she named them Qiuqiu and Gungun.
• Feng Ling marked Qiuqiu and Gungun with spray paint and told them to guard the Maze entrance while she went after the Leader, despite her missing right hand.
• The Leader realized that Naga's attack had driven away the Manola and could reveal his position on Feng Ling's mini-map, so he grabbed the cage and ran into the woods.
• A patrolling Human-faced Crow spotted the Leader and shouted, "I want to become rich! Rich, rich!"

The Leader tried to escape Feng Ling with the Labyrinth Administrator while the Human-faced Crows harried him. At the lakeshore, lake creatures dragged him into the water, and Feng Ling rushed to save the Administrator.

• The Leader fled through the forest as Human-faced Crows gathered behind him, and the Manolas’ calls failed to distract them.
• The Leader received messages from the Bishop and Messenger, then insisted he could stall Feng Ling for only thirty minutes.
• The Human-faced Crows attacked the Leader and knocked the cage away, so he transformed his arm into a Scorpion Pincer, destroyed the cage door, and grabbed the Palm Civet Administrator.
• Feng Ling chased the Leader to the lakeshore, where he threatened to throw the Administrator into the water and began explaining why Players could log in.
• Countless arms emerged from the lake and dragged the Leader underwater, and Feng Ling rushed forward to save the Administrator.

Feng Ling escaped the Naga God's attack and pursued the Leader, wondering how an Xenomorph could have defeated an Abyss Boss. The Leader reached the Maze entrance, where two juvenile Mother Nest Creations blocked his way, and prepared to use the Administrator.

• Feng Ling rescued the Leader from the Finger Eels, escaped the lake as the Naga God attacked, and judged that she had little chance of defeating it.
• The Naga God withdrew when no intruders remained in its guard range, and Feng Ling chased after the fleeing Leader while searching for a weakness.
• The injured Leader hurried toward the Maze entrance, hoping the Finger Eels had given him enough time to escape.
• The Leader found two juvenile Mother Nest Creations blocking the entrance and attacked them with his transformed Scorpion Pincer.
• The two Armadillos rolled toward the Leader, who dodged them but fell and exhausted his strength.
• The Leader took out the lifeless Palm Civet Administrator and prepared to open the Maze entrance.

Feng Ling learned that the Palm Civet, the Maze Administrator, had died, leaving her trapped in the Maze until a crack appeared. She decided to search the Player Forum for a guide to killing an Abyss Boss, while Xiao Shu panicked at the prospect of helping her.

• The Human-faced Crows drove the Leader into the Stone Armadillo’s path, and the Armadillo crushed him before he could log out.
• Feng Ling found the dead Palm Civet and told the hatchlings to teach the two Armadillos, then carried the body to Xiao Shu.
• Xiao Shu explained that the Palm Civet had been the Maze’s automatic AI Administrator and that a Maze crack might take two weeks to several months to appear.
• Feng Ling ordered Xiao Shu to find a Player Forum guide for killing an Abyss Boss, and he protested that he could not help her fight one.

Feng Ling searched for a way to defeat Naga and learned that a team had recruited Players for an Abyss Boss campaign nearly a year earlier. She headed to the Suspension Bridge with Xiao Shu to look for clues, then began considering how to avoid Naga’s blades.

• Feng Ling learned from Xiao Shu that an old recruitment post sought a levitation Player and a control-type Player for an Abyss Boss campaign.
• Feng Ling concluded that Star Society may have originated with beta Players and reflected on her limited chances to test plans against the Labyrinth Master.
• Feng Ling ordered Xiao Shu to accompany her to the Suspension Bridge, and a Human-faced Crow pecked him until he followed.
• Feng Ling reviewed what she knew about Naga, including its control over Maze waters and powerful area-of-effect attack.
• Feng Ling reasoned that the sky might be safe from Naga’s blades and considered jumping onto its back or head.

Feng Ling sent Xiao Shu across the islands to investigate the Crimson Gold Temple while she held back the Water Lizards. At the temple gate, Xiao Shu discovered that the temple was talking.

• Feng Ling gave Xiao Shu a Grenade and sent him to search the island while she and her companions crossed the Suspension Bridge behind him.
• Xiao Shu sprinted across bridges and past Water Lizards as Feng Ling used Mental Pressure to keep the creatures from chasing him.
• Xiao Shu reached the island and found two Player corpses and a dead crowned giant beside a Serpent Weapon.
• Feng Ling caught up with Xiao Shu, and they found a second giant's corpse near the Crimson Gold Temple.
• Feng Ling asked Xiao Shu to open the temple door, and Xiao Shu realized the temple was talking.

Feng Ling and Xiao Shu discovered that the temple’s altar ritual appeased the Lord of the Abyss River and triggered a blessing, but it also summoned the Abyss Boss. Feng Ling realized the pool connected to the lake and that the boss’s earlier giant snake was only its Second Form.

• Xiao Shu opened the temple door after the ancient voice called for the Lord of the Abyss River’s wrath to be appeased, and he found an empty treasure chest in the main hall.
• Feng Ling and Xiao Shu searched the hall, then noticed a ceiling mural reflected in the pool and recognized it as an altar ritual.
• Feng Ling and Xiao Shu tossed lotuses and glutinous rice into the pool, completing the ritual and earning Xiao Shu the Naga Blessing buff with increased water resistance.
• The pool water rippled, Red Mist filled the hall, and a Half-Man Half-Snake monster burst from the water, pinning Xiao Shu down with its pressure.
• Feng Ling resisted the pressure and realized the pool connected to the lake, making the monster its true form and the earlier giant snake its Second Form.

Feng Ling fought the Naga in her Second Form, tore off part of its tail, and discovered that offerings could prevent it from entering its berserk state. She called for help and ended the chapter by plunging into the pool to grapple with the Naga.

• Feng Ling transformed into her Second Form and attacked the Naga, but its strength overwhelmed her as they wrestled over its tail.
• Feng Ling pinned the Naga's tail with her Spikes, but the tail snapped and the Naga lost part of it.
• Feng Ling scattered offerings into the pool and realized they stopped the Naga from entering its berserk state.
• Feng Ling called for Third Child and the Human-faced Crows, then bit down on the Naga's water blades to try to drag it ashore.
• The Naga cut Feng Ling's mouth, and she plunged into the pool and wrapped her body around it.

Feng Ling fought the Naga in the pool, then dragged it ashore to weaken it and devoured its regenerated head. As she tore into the Abyss Boss, she recognized the Abyss’s true form and believed it would become nourishment for the Hive.

• The Naga destroyed several of Feng Ling’s unhatched eggs, and Feng Ling bit off its head before it began to regenerate.
• Feng Ling dragged the Naga toward shore while it slashed her with its blade-like hair, and Xiao Shu warned her of the danger.
• Feng Ling ordered Xiao Shu to tie a rope to a Stone Armadillo, and the Human-faced Crows secured the rope to her horn.
• The Stone Armadillos rolled down the temple steps, pulling Feng Ling and the Naga out of the pool and into the Green-faced Fanged Giant Corpse.
• Feng Ling found that the Naga had weakened out of the water, bit off its new head, and tore into its body.
• Feng Ling recognized the Abyss’s fleshy, flower-like form and thought of herself as the Hive, capable of turning the Abyss into nourishment.

Feng Ling killed the Abyss Boss, digested its Card, and gained powerful water-related abilities, but still fell just short of advancing to Abyss Form. As she left the Maze in the rain, she killed two Xenomorphs and recognized a silver burst as the Squirrel’s attack.

• Feng Ling told Xiao Shu to finish off the pinned Abyss Boss, and he stabbed its chest until it died and dropped a blood-red Abyss Card.
• Feng Ling absorbed the Lord of the Abyss River Card, strengthened her abilities, gained the Water Mist skill, and named it “Mom's Killing Intent.”
• Feng Ling realized the Card had not given her enough experience to advance to Abyss Form and planned to remove some Cards to lower her Corruption Value before seeking more.
• Feng Ling left the Maze in heavy rain and killed two approaching Xenomorphs with her blade-like tendrils.
• Silver light burst from one Xenomorph, and Feng Ling recognized the Squirrel’s attack.

Feng Ling digested the Squirrel Card after the Star Society’s ambush, raising her Corruption Value to 31% and leaving her consumed by fear and fury. After collecting the attackers’ Cards, she suddenly sped away into the rain, leaving Ye Zheng and Li Qing behind.

• Ye Zheng blocked the Squirrel’s silver projectiles, while Li Qing explained that Feng Ling’s Second Form kept her beyond the Cards’ range.
• Ye Zheng called the Squirrel’s Cards evidence of the Star Society’s ambush and urged Feng Ling to digest it.
• Feng Ling digested the Squirrel, raising her Corruption Value to 31%, and blamed the Star Society and Xenomorphs for pushing her into danger.
• Li Qing advised Ye Zheng to hand over the remaining Cards, and Feng Ling stored them one by one as her anger grew.
• Feng Ling shot off into the rain, and Ye Zheng and Li Qing were unable to catch up.

Feng Ling chased the Star Society after her fury drove her toward the edge of madness, killing Players who could not tell her where it was. She reached the Manluo National Stadium, where the Star Society members and gathered Players finally saw her arrive.

• Ye Zheng feared Feng Ling was losing control and urged Li Qing to find her and an Idol.
• Feng Ling found a Player team hunting Mutated Field Mice and demanded to know where the Star Society was.
• A surviving Player told Feng Ling the Star Society was at the Stadium, and she killed the team before heading west.
• At the Manluo National Stadium, Bai Xingguang and Dark-skinned Starlight discussed Squirrel's ambush and Feng Ling's whereabouts.
• A female Player warned the crowd that Lord-level monsters were approaching, but the Players dismissed her until Feng Ling appeared above the Stadium roof.

Feng Ling attacked the Star Society’s gathering point while searching for whoever had sent the Squirrel, then tracked a fleeing Xenomorph to a military camp. She told Li Qing and Ye Zheng that the Star Society’s Bishop appeared to be a little boy surrounded by people who coaxed him.

• The Flood Dragon Serpent descended on the Stadium and slaughtered Players while demanding to know whether they knew the Star Society or who had sent the Squirrel.
• Dark-skinned Starlight transformed into a Black Panther and attacked Feng Ling, but she cut him into pieces with her Steel Blades.
• Li Qing and Ye Zheng found Feng Ling at the blood-soaked Stadium, where she said her Corruption Value was 31% and that she was waiting to see where a Marked Xenomorph fled.
• Feng Ling described seeing the Xenomorph treated by medical staff in an army camp, leading Ye Zheng to suspect humans were colluding with Xenomorphs.
• Feng Ling said the Star Society’s Bishop was a little boy, and that everyone gathered around him and coaxed him.