Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Vought sends Lin Mo and Joanna their schedules, course materials, and campus access details soon after their arrival.
• Their core classes are at Lamplighter Crimefighting School, Godolkin’s track for students considered capable of becoming superheroes; less promising students are steered toward performing arts.
• In their first class, students notice Lin Mo and Joanna because of the attention Vought gave them when they arrived.
• A-Train greets Lin Mo, while The Deep tries to introduce himself to Joanna. She is unimpressed, and their conversation is interrupted when the class is ordered to an ability test.
• Lin Mo learns that regular tests track changes in students’ powers and determine rankings, which influence access to publicity, commercial deals, internships, and future teams.
• At the testing grounds, Lin spots Maeve among the gathered students, suggesting the assessment includes students from every year. Joanna notices his attention and asks who he is looking at.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo is observant and largely unfazed by the attention around him. He understands the school’s ranking system and is protective of Joanna.
• Joanna is focused more on staying with Lin than on her coursework. She dislikes The Deep’s approach, but is reassured when Lin tells her she needn’t engage with him.
• A-Train makes a friendly overture to Lin, partly because they share the experience of being nonwhite students.
• The Deep attempts to charm Joanna but shows little awareness of her disinterest.
• Maeve appears at the testing grounds, catching Lin’s attention because of her recognizable appearance and unusually strong presence.

Significant themes

• Godolkin treats students less as learners than as products, sorting them by commercial and superhero potential.
• Rankings turn ability testing into a competition with significant career and financial consequences.
• The chapter contrasts Joanna’s personal attachment to Lin with the university’s institutional focus on power, status, and marketability.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Lin Mo and Joanna spot Maeve, a second-year student already drawing Vought’s attention for her strong test scores and combat ability. Maeve senses something unsettling about Lin Mo, though he appears harmless; they exchange nods.
• Joanna notices Lin Mo acknowledging Maeve and watches her closely. Lin Mo worries Joanna might eventually harm Maeve, whom he expects to become their “good teammate.”
• The school announces that ability assessments will affect the students’ campus rankings. Lin Mo considers how much of his power to reveal, especially with Vought’s cameras recording.
• Lin Mo and Joanna watch other students demonstrate varied abilities. Joanna, who has mostly encountered Supes in captivity, is fascinated by the public display.
• The chapter explains that Godolkin’s rankings measure more than raw power: combat, academics, popularity, media appeal, commercial value, and Vought’s assessment of future potential all matter. The leaderboard is effectively a valuation of prospective Vought products.
• Kevin Moskowitz—The Deep—steps up for testing. He scores four tons on the strength test and shows above-average endurance and durability. Staff then bring out a large water tank for his special-ability test, leaving Lin Mo uneasy.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo remains guarded and calculating. He recognizes Maeve’s future significance, assesses the school as a Vought-run marketplace for Supes, and weighs how much to reveal about himself.
• Joanna is intensely attentive to Lin Mo and suspicious of his interest in Maeve. At the same time, she displays curiosity and wonder as she sees many Supes gathered and using their abilities openly.
• Maeve appears composed, but her instincts pick up a faint sense of danger from Lin Mo. She acknowledges him before returning her attention elsewhere.
• The Deep is shown as confident and eager for attention, posing before his test. His early results are respectable, though his special ability has not yet been demonstrated.

Significant themes

• Vought’s commercialization of power: Student rankings reward marketability and public appeal alongside ability, turning students into potential products.
• Appearance versus hidden danger: Lin Mo looks harmless despite unsettling Maeve, while Joanna’s watchfulness hints at the risks surrounding their relationships.
• Performance and self-presentation: The assessment is both a test of ability and a public-facing showcase, prompting Lin Mo to consider what image he wants to project.

Key events

• The Deep demonstrates his ability to communicate with marine life. A dolphin confirms the tank is too cold and retrieves colored targets on command. Joanna dismisses the power as useless, and The Deep overhears her.
• A-Train runs the school’s speed test, reaching nearly Mach 1.5 and impressing the crowd. He takes pride in the display but remains uneasy about Lin Mo’s unknown strength.
• Maeve shows her formidable physical abilities, punching with a force of thirteen tons and shrugging off a powerful impact test. She returns to watch Lin Mo and Joanna, curious about why Vought treats the transfer students specially.
• Joanna, jealous of Lin Mo’s attention to Maeve, insists she is much stronger. When her turn finally comes, she heads to the testing area eager to prove herself while Lin Mo watches.

Character developments and interactions

• Joanna is competitive and possessive of Lin Mo’s attention. Maeve’s presence turns her desire to demonstrate her strength into a personal challenge.
• Lin Mo assesses the students’ abilities and considers how Vought might use them for publicity and representation. He placates Joanna with praise and encourages her to show what she can do.
• The Deep is initially enthusiastic about his dolphin demonstration, but Joanna’s blunt judgment dampens his mood.
• A-Train gains confidence from his impressive result, though Lin Mo’s strength remains a source of uncertainty.
• Maeve is composed and confident in her performance, but her decision to stay and observe reveals curiosity about the newcomers.

Significant themes

• Power and spectacle: Abilities that are easy to display—such as speed or strength—draw more attention than less conventional powers.
• Vought’s image-making: Lin Mo recognizes that the company values heroes partly for their commercial and political usefulness.
• Competition and recognition: The tests become a stage for status, while Joanna’s rivalry with Maeve is driven as much by Lin Mo’s attention as by strength itself.

Key plot points and events

• Joanna takes the strength, speed, durability, and reaction tests. She casually exceeds nearly every school record, pushing the strength tester beyond its recommended range.
• The crowd is stunned, then erupts in cheers. Joanna ignores the acclaim and looks only to Lin Mo for approval; his praise makes her happier than breaking the records.
• Lin Mo is called up next, drawing the attention of students and heroes who wonder whether he is as powerful as Joanna.
• His casual punch sends the strength reading off the scale and destroys the tester. He worries aloud about having to pay, but the staff assures him the school will cover the damage.
• Lin Mo holds back during the remaining tests, yet beats A-Train’s speed result and withstands the durability test without moving. The staff is left unsure how to record his results.

Character developments and interactions

• Joanna shows that other people’s admiration and rankings mean little to her; she mainly wants Lin Mo to see and praise her. She is openly proud of his strength, rather than threatened by it.
• Lin Mo remains relaxed and self-assured despite the crowd’s attention. His understated manner contrasts with the extraordinary damage and results he produces.
• A-Train is shaken when Lin Mo easily beats his speed record, undermining the ability he has long relied on.
• Maeve moves from suspicion to a clear understanding of Lin Mo’s immense power. She is unsettled by how little effort he seems to make, but also relieved, believing his place in The Super Seven could help save innocent lives.
• Joanna and Lin Mo’s exchange—her eager “Well?” and his affectionate praise—reveals their close bond and mutual pride.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Both newcomers demonstrate overwhelming abilities while appearing barely to exert themselves; Lin Mo’s slight misjudgment shows how easily his strength can cause destruction.
• Recognition and attachment: Joanna values Lin Mo’s approval more than public acclaim, while the crowd’s awe has little effect on him.
• Rivalry and insecurity: Lin Mo’s results expose the fragility of A-Train’s pride and status.
• Power as hope and danger: Maeve sees Lin Mo as both frighteningly powerful and potentially a force for protecting people.

Plot points and events

• After Joanna and Lin Mo’s extraordinary performance at the ability assessment, The Deep worries that his earlier attempt to approach Joanna may have offended Lin Mo. He moves closer to A-Train for safety, while A-Train misreads his behavior as a sign he may be questioning his sexuality and quietly backs away.
• Lin Mo notices that the students now regard him with shock and wariness. He believes displaying his strength will discourage bullying and establish that his place in the rankings is earned, not granted by Vought. He has deliberately held back, since using his full strength might have damaged even more equipment.
• The assessment ends, and the school announces that results will be added to student records and rankings updated within twenty-four hours. Students leave while posting about what they witnessed.
• A-Train and The Deep catch up with Lin Mo and Joanna. A-Train is friendly and pragmatic; The Deep keeps his distance from Joanna. A-Train notes that the pair are already becoming famous and explains that the campus forum and public popularity influence student rankings.

Character developments

• Lin Mo uses his performance both to establish his reputation and to deter people from targeting him. He is comfortable with the attention and sees Vought’s promotional ambitions as an opportunity.
• Joanna continues to show a protective, affectionate attentiveness toward Lin Mo, checking him for injuries even though she knows the test could not harm him.
• A-Train responds to Lin Mo’s overwhelming strength with respect rather than jealousy, choosing to build a relationship with him.
• The Deep becomes anxious and unusually cautious around Lin Mo, avoiding Joanna after reconsidering his earlier behavior.

Significant themes

• Strength and status: At Godolkin, displays of power shape how others treat you.
• Public image and popularity: Rankings depend not only on ability but also on visibility, public support, and votes.
• Fear and self-preservation: Characters adjust their behavior when confronted with someone far stronger than themselves.
• Power and institutional leverage: Lin Mo believes Vought must accommodate him because of his abilities, even as it seeks to use him for publicity.

Character interactions

• Joanna’s noticeably brighter welcome and careful inspection of Lin Mo reinforce their close bond.
• A-Train approaches Lin Mo openly, praises his performance, and explains how campus fame affects rankings.
• The Deep stays guarded and avoids looking at Joanna, while Lin Mo appears unconcerned about his earlier approach.

Key plot points and events

• A-Train predicts Lin Mo and Joanna’s rankings will rise sharply after their transfer-student test results attract attention. He thinks they could make the top hundred; Lin Mo suggests the top fifty or better, depending on Vought’s support.
• A-Train reveals he is currently ranked forty-third and expects to climb, while The Deep is sixty-eighth. The Deep explains that the school’s testing equipment does not suit his ocean-based abilities; Lin Mo jokes that the school cannot build him an aquarium.
• As the group approaches class, Joanna takes Lin Mo’s arm and admits she is annoyed that he has spent so long talking to A-Train. Lin Mo recognizes her jealousy and lets her keep holding his arm.
• A-Train and The Deep excuse themselves and hurry ahead. The Deep privately admits he is now wary of both Joanna and Lin Mo.
• Meanwhile, campus-forum posts about Lin Mo and Joanna multiply rapidly, and their rankings are being adjusted behind the scenes by Edgar.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo remains relaxed about rankings, viewing them mainly as a way to gain visibility and influence rather than as a measure of personal success. He teases The Deep but is attentive to Joanna’s feelings.
• Joanna shows a possessive, openly jealous side, seeking Lin Mo’s attention through physical closeness. Her mood quickly improves when he allows it.
• A-Train is competitive and proud of his speed, but he is still more straightforward and less hardened than he may become later. He and The Deep trade playful jabs.
• The Deep is insecure about how his abilities are assessed and increasingly intimidated by Joanna—and by Lin Mo’s closeness to her.

Significant themes

• Public image and institutional power: Rankings reflect Vought’s judgment of a hero’s market value as much as raw ability, and Edgar can influence them behind the scenes.
• Attention and status: The newcomers’ rapid rise in online attention shows how quickly reputation can grow at Godolkin.
• Jealousy and social dynamics: A small exchange reveals Joanna’s attachment to Lin Mo and shifts the group’s otherwise teasing mood.

Key plot points and events

• After Lin Mo and Joanna’s ability test, a secretly filmed video spreads rapidly across Godolkin’s forum. More footage and public test data confirm what witnesses saw: Joanna broke a record, and Lin Mo displayed formidable power without seeming to exert himself.
• Students who had accused the transfers of receiving undeserved special treatment reconsider their views. Vought also amplifies the attention, and the pair gain a growing—though mixed—following. Forum users debate how high they might rise in the rankings and whether Lin Mo could eventually join The Seven.
• That afternoon, Joanna persuades Lin Mo to tour the campus. They admire Godolkin’s expensive, reinforced facilities, while Joanna seems especially happy to spend time alone with him.
• A third-year student, Chris, invites Lin Mo to a gathering with high-ranking Crimefighting School students. Joanna declines on their behalf, claiming they have plans. She explains that their plan is dinner—a routine Lin Mo points out they already have every night.

Character developments

• Lin Mo remains quiet and uninterested in attention, fame, and even dinner, but accepts Joanna’s invitation to explore campus.
• Joanna is energetic and openly enjoys spending time with Lin Mo. She takes charge of their social plans and makes clear she doesn’t want him attending Chris’s gathering.
• Chris approaches Lin Mo in a friendly, respectful way, impressed by his test performance, but backs off when Joanna refuses.

Significant themes

• Power reshapes public opinion: What initially looked like unfair favoritism becomes justified in students’ eyes once the transfers demonstrate their strength.
• Publicity and celebrity: Vought turns the test into a promotional opportunity, while students debate the pair’s status and future.
• Possessiveness and companionship: Joanna’s insistence on keeping the evening for the two of them suggests a personal attachment that Lin Mo seems to take in stride.

Character interactions

• The campus community shifts from suspicion to awe as it discusses the transfers online.
• Chris offers Lin Mo a chance to socialize with influential students, but Joanna speaks for them and rejects the invitation.
• Lin Mo questions Joanna’s claim that they are busy; her literal, deadpan defense of their usual dinner highlights their contrasting personalities.

Key plot points and events

• Following the morning’s ability test, Lin Mo and Joanna become popular prospects at Godolkin University. Students approach Lin Mo with invitations, networking opportunities, and even an offer to help him become a celebrity hero.
• Joanna attracts even more attention, but dismisses nearly everyone who tries to speak with her. When a girl approaches Lin Mo for his contact information, Joanna’s intimidating look sends her away.
• Joanna questions why people want to meet Lin Mo and objects to him socializing with other girls. She insists he should not eat with the girl, then clings to his arm to discourage anyone else from approaching.
• Their growing fame prevents them from touring the campus unnoticed. Lin Mo hears students discussing the test and discovers a popular Forum post about the two transfer students.
• When Joanna asks whether the Forum includes girls talking about Lin Mo, he closes the laptop and suggests they go out. Joanna chooses to inspect the school’s pool instead of letting him nap.
• The chapter ends as Lin Mo is surprised by the university’s rankings.

Character developments

• Lin Mo is startled by how quickly others try to build connections with him, and finds Joanna’s possessiveness both amusing and exasperating. He generally gives in to her demands, reflecting their established closeness.
• Joanna remains uninterested in socializing with others and becomes openly jealous when students approach Lin Mo. She shows her attachment through questions, subtle intimidation, and physically clinging to him.

Character interactions

• Students compete to approach Lin Mo and Joanna, treating their test results as signs of future status.
• Joanna repeatedly shuts down would-be acquaintances and makes clear that she wants Lin Mo’s attention for herself.
• Lin Mo questions her behavior, but Joanna’s peculiar logic and affectionate persistence leave him with little to say.

Significant themes

• Ambition and networking: Students see powerful newcomers as valuable future connections.
• Fame and reputation: One test quickly turns Lin Mo and Joanna into campus celebrities.
• Attachment and jealousy: Joanna’s devotion to Lin Mo surfaces as possessiveness, while Lin Mo responds with patience and familiarity.

Key plot points and events

• The university rankings update, placing Lin Mo tenth and Joanna ninth. Their simultaneous arrival in the top ten as transfer students is unprecedented and draws widespread attention.
• Most students are impressed by their strength, but some accuse Vought of manipulating the rankings and try to investigate Lin Mo’s background. Their posts and accounts are quickly suppressed.
• At Vought’s request, Maeve agrees to track down the people driving the smear campaign, rather than merely removing their posts. The company wants to protect the pair’s public image—and avoid provoking Lin Mo.
• Lin Mo checks the rankings and Forum, where posts about him and Joanna dominate. He tells Joanna she has ranked above him, and she quietly enjoys the news.
• As Joanna reads comments praising Lin Mo and expressing interest in him, she becomes increasingly jealous. Lin Mo stops her from replying, and her jealousy culminates in asking what kind of woman he likes.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo is amused by the attention and teases Joanna about her higher ranking. He stays calm when she reacts to other women’s comments and pretends not to know why they are interested in him.
• Joanna reveals that she cares more about her standing relative to Lin Mo than she admits. She is pleased by her rank and by praise for him, but possessive and visibly jealous when women express interest in him.
• Maeve is bored by the online dispute but takes the investigation seriously once Vought makes clear that Lin Mo is the target. She sees the assignment as manageable and potentially useful to her.
• Lin Mo and Joanna’s playful, intimate exchange contrasts with Vought’s behind-the-scenes effort to manage their reputations.

Significant themes

• Reputation and power: Rankings and online popularity shape students’ status, while Vought uses its influence to control public narratives.
• Envy and suspicion: The pair’s sudden success inspires both admiration and accusations of favoritism.
• Possessiveness and affection: Joanna’s jealousy exposes feelings she tries to conceal, while Lin Mo gently teases and defuses her reactions.
• Corporate self-interest: Vought’s protection of Lin Mo and Joanna is driven not only by publicity plans but also by concern about how Lin Mo might respond.

Plot points and events

• Lin Mo receives an interim system update for his growing influence on the world’s plot. He gains 1,500 energy points, bringing his total to more than 5,000, and earns a permanent bonus of 20 additional energy points per day.
• Joanna spots posts about Lin Mo’s looks and a plan to wait for him outside the classroom building. Jealous and protective, she proposes flying to class to avoid the crowd. They arrive by the regular entrance instead.
• On campus, several girls try to get Lin Mo’s attention. Joanna’s glowing-eyed glare scares one away, and other students quickly decide not to approach.
• Lin Mo notices a student secretly photographing them but lets him leave. The student has also been responsible for some smear posts about Lin Mo, though Lin Mo does not know this.
• Joanna, who had previously been reluctant to attend classes, now eagerly explores them after discovering they are unlike the lessons she experienced in the Bunker.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo is pleased by the system rewards and recognizes that his actions—especially enrolling at Godolkin and disrupting major events—are changing the plot. He remains relaxed about his sudden popularity and chooses not to monitor every detail on campus with his powers.
• Joanna is increasingly comfortable at school and excited about learning, but her affection for Lin Mo shows through in her jealousy and protectiveness. She denies glaring at his admirers, despite Lin Mo seeing her do it.
• Lin Mo and Joanna share playful, affectionate exchanges: he reassures her when she questions whether he has a girlfriend, agrees to her plan to avoid the crowd, and gently calls out her jealousy.

Significant themes

• Changing fate: Lin Mo’s actions are producing measurable effects on the world’s plot and increasing the system’s rewards.
• Jealousy and protectiveness: Joanna’s attachment to Lin Mo shapes how she reacts to his growing popularity.
• Freedom and adjustment: Joanna’s enthusiasm for classes reflects how different life at Godolkin is from her experience in the Bunker.
• Visibility and scrutiny: Lin Mo’s newfound fame attracts admiration, gossip, and covert photography.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Mo realizes that the rumors accusing him of being an extremist and claiming Vought rigged his rankings may be tied to the student who secretly photographed him.
• Maeve receives confirmation that the photographer is one of the main account holders behind the online attacks. She prepares to intervene, though Lin Mo and Joanna decide to investigate for themselves.
• That night, Lin Mo uses his enhanced hearing and intelligence to locate the student’s dorm. He and Joanna enter while the student is away.
• They find filming equipment and a computer containing private files on numerous students: secret recordings, chat logs, edited videos, and material intended for blackmail or public “exposés.”
• Folders on Lin Mo and Joanna contain surveillance photos and a draft post implying that Vought unfairly favors them. Group chats reveal a coordinated scheme to target prominent students, manufacture controversy, and spread rumors—even without evidence.

Character developments

• Lin Mo remains outwardly calm but recognizes the smear campaign and chooses to investigate before reacting. His powers make it easy for him to find the target and access the evidence.
• Joanna tries to appear unbothered by the earlier photographer, but becomes excited about their nighttime investigation. Her mood turns serious when she sees the extent of the campaign against them.
• Maeve quietly takes notice of the culprit and signals that she intends to act, showing her protective concern and intolerance for needless trouble.

Character interactions

• Lin Mo reassures Joanna that he will share what he is thinking, then invites her to investigate with him.
• Joanna enthusiastically treats the mission like secret hero work, while Lin Mo is more focused on uncovering the truth.
• Together, they examine the student’s room and computer, shifting from curiosity to alarm as they discover the organized operation.

Significant themes

• Reputation and manipulation: Real information can be mixed with speculation and lies to shape public opinion.
• Privacy and exploitation: The group secretly records students and uses personal material to threaten or discredit them.
• Power and institutional suspicion: The draft exploits questions about Vought’s support for Lin Mo and Joanna to imply favoritism without making direct accusations.
• Justice and restraint: Lin Mo does not retaliate immediately; he gathers evidence first, while Maeve also prepares to respond.

Plot points and events

• Lin Mo and Joanna uncover evidence that Derek Moore helps a group manufacture campus scandals. The group has previously ruined students through edited videos and invasive gossip, driving some into isolation or out of school.
• Derek’s motive is resentment toward powerful, high-ranking students. After seeing online harassment make a prominent student retreat, he began using public opinion to feel powerful. Lin Mo and Joanna became targets after suddenly entering the top ten.
• Derek returns to his room drunk and finds the pair at his computer. He tries to regain control by accusing them of trespassing and threatening to publicize their visit.
• Lin Mo spots Derek’s unpublished critical post and refuses to be drawn into a confrontation. Instead, he challenges Derek to make an even bigger public scene—while turning over the hard drive, secret recordings, chat logs, and evidence of his past actions.

Character developments

• Lin Mo stays composed and recognizes that the attack is driven by their newfound visibility, not a personal grievance. He reads Derek’s attempted counterattack as a public-relations tactic and turns it back on him.
• Joanna is furious at the group’s cruelty and initially wants to confront Derek, but follows Lin Mo’s signal to hold back.
• Derek shifts from fear to bluffing once he realizes he can frame the encounter as a scandal. His practiced manipulation reveals both his confidence in exploiting public opinion and his underlying insecurity and envy.

Significant themes

• Public opinion as a weapon: Rumors and edited material can damage people even after they are disproved.
• Power and status: Derek cannot compete with elite students directly, so he seeks influence through scandal and humiliation.
• Manipulation and accountability: Derek relies on controlling the narrative, while Lin Mo counters by insisting that all the evidence be exposed.
• Institutional complicity: Lin Mo suspects Vought has ignored the scandal operation because Derek’s talents may be useful to its Public Relations Department.

Character interactions

• Joanna’s anger contrasts with Lin Mo’s restraint; she trusts his judgment and remains at his side.
• Derek attempts to intimidate the pair by invoking privacy, campus rules, and publicity, but Lin Mo calmly challenges his strategy and puts Derek’s own evidence at the center of the confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Mo confronts Derek over evidence on Derek’s computer: secret recordings, edited videos, smear campaigns, and chat logs targeting students.
• Lin Mo warns that exposing the hard drive could ruin Derek, especially because his actions threaten Vought’s control and target Lin Mo and Joanna, whom Vought plans to promote.
• Asked why he does it, Derek admits he resents the unequal status and attention given to powerful, marketable students. He describes using online harassment to frighten a higher-ranked student, and takes satisfaction in seeing powerful people suffer.
• Lin Mo rejects Derek’s claim that he is fighting injustice, calling his behavior cowardly bullying. When Derek tries to argue, Lin Mo turns to Joanna and gives her permission to hit him.

Character developments

• Lin Mo stays composed and curious at first, but loses interest once Derek reveals that resentment—not justice—is driving him. He draws a firm line between recognizing unfairness and using it to justify hurting others.
• Derek exposes his envy and bitterness about being overlooked at Godolkin. Though he sees himself as reacting to an unfair system, he has come to enjoy the power of humiliating others from behind a screen.
• Joanna grows increasingly furious, especially after seeing secretly taken photos of Lin Mo. She restrains herself at Lin Mo’s request, then is pleased when he lets her act.

Significant themes

• Unfairness and resentment: Godolkin’s status system rewards strength and commercial appeal, leaving many students feeling invisible.
• Accountability versus justification: An unjust system may explain Derek’s anger, but it does not excuse his harassment.
• Power and bullying: Derek’s online attacks let him harm people he sees as stronger while avoiding direct risk.
• Vought’s control: Competition is acceptable to Vought only while it remains useful and manageable; manipulating public opinion against favored students has consequences.

Character interactions

• Lin Mo questions Derek calmly, giving him room to explain himself while refusing to accept his excuses.
• Joanna’s hostility toward Derek rises, but she obeys Lin Mo when he asks her to wait.
• Derek tries to make Lin Mo understand his grievances, while Lin Mo distinguishes legitimate criticism of inequality from personal revenge.

Key plot points and events

• Joanna attacks Derek for secretly filming her and Lin Mo. She pins him against a wall and breaks his wrist before he can use his vibration power.
• Margaret Shaw—later known as Queen Maeve—enters and stops the confrontation. She explains that Vought sent her to investigate rumors and online activity linked to Lin Mo and Joanna.
• Maeve reveals Derek is only one member of a group that has been manipulating campus opinion. Vought will take over the evidence and decide how to deal with him.
• Lin Mo and Maeve formally introduce themselves. Their brief handshake leaves Maeve intrigued, especially because Lin Mo seems unusually unsurprised by her arrival.
• With one conspirator exposed and Vought involved, Lin Mo expects the rest of the group to be found.

Character developments and interactions

• Joanna acts decisively and violently in response to Derek’s spying, showing how fiercely she protects herself and Lin Mo. She only releases Derek when Lin Mo asks.
• Lin Mo stays calm throughout, having already sensed Maeve outside and apparently anticipated her involvement. He lets Vought handle Derek while focusing on the wider conspiracy.
• Maeve appears composed and practical. She dislikes Derek’s behavior but prioritizes getting information from him, and she recognizes Joanna’s strength. Her curiosity about Lin Mo grows after meeting him.
• Derek is badly injured and loses his confidence once confronted by Joanna and Vought. He becomes largely irrelevant as attention shifts to the larger group.

Significant themes

• Justice versus restraint: Joanna wants to punish Derek directly, while Maeve and Lin Mo favor leaving the case to Vought.
• Power and institutional control: Derek’s influence ends once Vought intervenes, underscoring the corporation’s authority over the school and its students.
• Secrets and surveillance: Derek’s covert filming mirrors the hidden network manipulating campus opinion.
• Suspicion and intrigue: Lin Mo’s apparent foreknowledge makes Maeve wonder what he knows, setting up a more complicated relationship between them.

Plot points and events

• Maeve takes the evidence against Derek and says Vought will continue investigating the people involved. She warns that the chat records point to suspects outside the school as well.
• Joanna challenges Maeve’s claims about Vought’s commitment to justice. Maeve remains composed, then forces Derek to his feet and takes him away, warning that his return—and the return of his computer—depends on what happens next.
• Back at the villa near dawn, Lin Mo receives a call from Edgar. They discuss the online smear posts targeting Lin Mo and Joanna. Edgar says Vought and the school will investigate those responsible and restrict similar posts from gaining prominence.
• Edgar also tells Lin Mo that his strong performance has made the school reconsider his combat tests. Future tests may involve tougher opponents, multiple opponents, and higher-ranked students. Lin Mo agrees, though he is surprised the school intends to put people against him.

Character developments and interactions

• Joanna is openly hostile toward Maeve, especially when Maeve shows Lin Mo attention. She denies being jealous or even glaring, but her behavior suggests she dislikes Maeve’s closeness with him.
• Maeve is professional and unruffled by Joanna’s coldness. She takes responsibility for the investigation and offers Lin Mo a direct way to contact her.
• Derek loses his defiance after Joanna’s attack and becomes frightened when Maeve takes him into custody.
• Lin Mo remains unconcerned by the online attacks and is comfortable with Edgar’s blunt, pragmatic manner. He accepts the tougher tests without hesitation.
• Edgar treats the situation—and Lin Mo’s prospects—in terms of Vought’s interests and Lin Mo’s value, rather than appealing to ideals.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism over idealism: Both Lin Mo and Edgar speak plainly about motives, value, and self-interest.
• Power and accountability: Vought’s response to the scandal is tied not only to justice but also to protecting a valuable public image.
• Jealousy and denial: Joanna’s coolness toward Maeve reveals feelings she refuses to acknowledge.
• Escalating expectations: Lin Mo’s success brings greater scrutiny and more demanding challenges.

Plot points and events

• Edgar calls Lin Mo after the evening’s events, first asking him to pass on an instruction, then seeking his opinion of Margaret Shaw as a potential member of The Seven.
• Lin Mo realizes Vought is treating him as a future core member whose views may affect the team’s lineup. Edgar says there are other candidates if Lin Mo objects to Margaret.
• Lin Mo says Margaret is capable, sane, and a good fit, and that he has no objection to her joining. He ends the call when he notices Joanna reacting badly.
• Afterward, Joanna insists she is not angry, but reveals she is jealous because Margaret looked at Lin Mo often. Lin Mo explains that they barely spoke and that Margaret’s attention was understandable given her assignment.
• Lin Mo offers to keep his distance, but Joanna says he can interact with Margaret normally. When Joanna falls quiet, he comforts her by ruffling her hair; she instinctively moves toward his arms.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo handles Edgar’s political inquiry carefully, supports Margaret’s candidacy, and then tries to reassure Joanna without dismissing her feelings.
• Joanna shows possessiveness and insecurity beneath her claims that she is unbothered. Lin Mo’s familiar gesture brings out her longstanding dependence on and trust in him.
• Edgar demonstrates that Vought is already planning The Seven’s roster around Lin Mo’s influence, while tactfully probing his preferences.

Significant themes

• Power and influence: Lin Mo’s opinion now carries weight in Vought’s decisions.
• Jealousy and reassurance: Joanna’s feelings surface through small observations and indirect complaints rather than direct admission.
• Familiarity and emotional dependence: Despite their extraordinary strength, Joanna reverts to the comforting bond they shared since childhood.

Plot points

• Lin Mo comforts Joanna, who is jealous of the possibility that Maeve might join The Seven. He reassures her that she remains the person he is closest to and that he would treat Maeve only as a teammate.
• Lin Mo realizes Edgar asked for his opinion because it could influence the future lineup of The Seven. He has no intention of harming Maeve, whom he considers one of the few genuine heroes.
• At Godolkin University, Maeve investigates rumors targeting Lin Mo and Joanna. The students who spread them seem too ordinary—and too quiet afterward—for the incident to be mere campus rivalry.
• Maeve discovers that some students’ records have been altered or erased, and that numerous students have abruptly left the university over the years. The pattern suggests Godolkin is secretly screening or removing students.
• Under pressure, one student reveals that Dean Doug Seaver ordered the rumor campaign. Maeve is shaken to learn the trail leads to the university’s highest authority.
• Unsure whom at Vought she can trust, Maeve walks the campus alone and thinks of Lin Mo.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo remains committed to treating Maeve fairly, despite the complicated history associated with his former identity. He also recognizes his growing influence within Vought.
• Joanna shows jealousy but softens after Lin Mo reassures her; she still avoids openly admitting her feelings.
• Maeve shifts from investigating what appears to be petty gossip to uncovering a wider institutional conspiracy. Her confidence gives way to fear and uncertainty as she realizes the danger may reach into Vought itself.
• Maeve and Lin Mo do not meet in the chapter, but Lin Mo’s reassurance that he will support neither harm nor hostility toward her contrasts with her increasingly isolated position.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and hidden power: A campus rumor campaign conceals action directed by people at the top.
• Institutional corruption: Godolkin’s supposed role in developing heroes may mask a system that eliminates students who fail to meet secret standards.
• Trust and vulnerability: Joanna seeks reassurance from Lin Mo, while Maeve struggles to determine whom she can safely trust.
• Influence and responsibility: Lin Mo recognizes that his opinion could shape The Seven, but chooses not to use his power against Maeve.

Chapter summary

• Maeve considers asking Lin Mo for help with her investigation into the backlash against her. His calm, practical response to the previous day’s crisis has made her think he may be unlike other powerful Supes—and someone who might challenge Godolkin’s administration. But she realizes she never got his contact details. The school system keeps his information restricted, reinforcing her sense that Lin Mo has influential connections.
• At Godolkin’s first-year practical class, students are assigned one-on-one training matches. When Lin Mo and Joanna appear on the matchup list, their classmates are reluctant to face them. One student openly asks for a different partner, joking that he would surrender immediately rather than risk the medical treatment.
• Students matched with Lin Mo repeatedly withdraw, and no one is willing to fight Joanna either. The instructor cannot resolve the situation without entering the arena himself.
• Lin Mo worries that their presence is disrupting the class; Joanna dismisses the others as weak. Lin Mo warns her that saying so could provoke another wave of attention from her admirers, and she falls quiet.
• At last, Reggie, a well-known first-year, volunteers to face Lin Mo and enters the arena with confidence. The chapter ends before the match begins.

Character developments and interactions

Maeve’s growing respect for Lin Mo leads her to consider trusting him, though she is frustrated by how inaccessible he is. Lin Mo remains self-conscious about intimidating his classmates, while Joanna is protective and unconcerned by their fear. Their easy, familiar exchange contrasts with the students’ anxiety. Reggie’s confident entrance signals a possible shift in the stalemate.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts power with responsibility: Maeve is struck by Lin Mo’s restraint, while the students fear his strength. It also highlights status and connections through his restricted records, and the gap between Godolkin’s ideal of practical training and the reality that students avoid opponents they consider overwhelmingly powerful.

• Key events: A-Train volunteers to spar with Lin Mo, partly to help him avoid an awkward moment and partly to show off. The Deep (Kevin) joins in, but Lin Mo redirects him to spar with Joanna. The Deep quickly regrets volunteering when Joanna gives him an ominous smile. A-Train then attacks Lin Mo at high speed, but Lin Mo catches his first punch and throws him aside. A-Train switches to circling and probing for an opening, while Lin Mo easily tracks him and judges his approach ineffective. The spar continues as A-Train tests Lin Mo’s defenses.
• Character developments: A-Train is confident but grows cautious after seeing Lin Mo’s strength; he adapts his tactics rather than charging straight in. The Deep shows a rare flash of courage, though his self-doubt and awkwardness remain. Lin Mo is composed, overwhelmingly capable, and amused by the others’ attempts to challenge him. Joanna is eager for Lin Mo’s attention and irritated when he chooses to spar instead.
• Character interactions: A-Train privately asks Lin Mo not to hit him too hard, while Lin Mo accepts the match. Lin Mo pairs The Deep with Joanna, leaving The Deep intimidated and Joanna seemingly pleased to have him as her opponent. During the fight, Lin Mo catches and tosses A-Train with little effort, then watches his subsequent attacks without moving.
• Themes: The scene contrasts confidence and real ability, showing that speed alone is not enough against a stronger, more perceptive opponent. It also highlights peer pressure, pride, and the desire to prove oneself, while using humor to undercut the students’ bravado.

Plot points and events

• A-Train repeatedly tries to attack Lin Mo at super speed, but Lin Mo tracks every move effortlessly. When A-Train finally charges head-on, Lin Mo stops him with one controlled strike that knocks him unconscious.
• The Deep is expected to spar next. Seeing Joanna eager to fight, he tries to back out, but the watching students and their cameras make retreating embarrassing.
• Joanna easily outpaces The Deep. She initially stops a punch just short of his face, then repeatedly sends him flying while carefully avoiding a knockout.
• The Deep eventually surrenders. Joanna gives him one final kick, explaining that it is for staring at Lin Mo earlier.
• Lin Mo checks that The Deep is still alive, then asks Joanna how the fight felt. She says it was enjoyable. As The Deep despairs over his limited sea-based powers, Lin Mo tells him his abilities have potential.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Mo remains calm and overwhelmingly capable, defeating A-Train without serious injury. He also watches Joanna’s fight with amusement and teases The Deep afterward.
• A-Train becomes frustrated when his speed proves useless against Lin Mo, then is quickly incapacitated.
• Joanna is excited by Lin Mo’s victory and eager to fight. She shows impressive speed and precise control, but also reveals a petty, personal streak by punishing The Deep for looking at Lin Mo.
• The Deep shifts from hoping A-Train will prolong the first match to reluctantly facing Joanna. His confidence in his own powers collapses as she overwhelms him, leaving him battered and regretful.
• The students’ attention—and their cameras—turns the spar into a public spectacle, making The Deep feel he cannot withdraw without humiliation.

Significant themes

• Power and perspective: A-Train’s extraordinary speed is meaningless against someone as capable as Lin Mo, while The Deep’s powers are limited outside their ideal environment.
• Restraint and control: Both Lin Mo and Joanna regulate their strength, though Joanna uses that control to prolong The Deep’s punishment.
• Humiliation and comedy: The chapter plays the contrast between the characters’ bravado and their swift defeats for humor, especially through The Deep’s growing despair.