Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Su Yi returns to Iron Beetle’s shop to prepare for his upcoming deal with the Hound Gang, but finds the guards missing and the room filled with blood.
• Wolf Fang Gang thugs have killed the guards and Iron Beetle’s suppliers while searching for Iron Beetle and his remaining stock.
• Their leader, Niu Dao, threatens Su Yi and attacks. Su Yi’s magnetic field stops a dagger and a bullet, but Niu Dao avoids his attempts to grab him.
• Su Yi unleashes Thornfire, killing Niu Dao and then the other thugs—including two who try to flee. His power leaves the room and bodies scorched.
• Iron Beetle emerges from a hidden entrance in heavily armed Powered Armor, expecting to attack the gang. Instead, he finds them dead and Su Yi unharmed.

Character developments

• Su Yi has grown more confident as his abilities and strength have improved. Rather than submit to intimidation, he fights back and reveals the lethal force of Thornfire.
• Iron Beetle is shown to have allies and a hidden escape route, as well as powerful weapons. His aggressive response to the Wolf Fang Gang suggests he is ready to retaliate, though Su Yi has already resolved the immediate threat.

Significant themes

• Power and changing status: Su Yi’s rise in strength changes how he responds to danger and challenges the gangs’ assumption that he is an easy target.
• Violence and escalation: The Wolf Fang Gang’s brutality provokes a devastating counterattack.
• Hidden capabilities: Su Yi’s abilities and Iron Beetle’s concealed resources both surprise those around them.

Character interactions

• Niu Dao tries to intimidate and kill Su Yi, but Su Yi calmly warns him before fighting back.
• Su Yi shows little mercy to the remaining gang members, taunting them as he attacks.
• Iron Beetle returns prepared to fight the gang and is astonished to discover that Su Yi has already defeated them.

Plot points and events

• Su Yi kills the Wolf Fang Gang men who attacked the Iron Beetle’s shop, revealing that he is far more powerful than he had appeared.
• The Iron Beetle brings Su Yi into his hidden office, arranges for the bodies to be removed, and recognizes that the gang has likely infiltrated or eliminated the other distributors.
• Su Yi explains that he needs supplies for his newly established operation. The Iron Beetle consults his boss, Mantis, who offers Su Yi goods worth 800 Void Abyss Coins as thanks and as an investment in a partnership against the Wolf Fang Gang.
• Su Yi spends the gift on sixteen Casey 191 assault rifles, then buys fourteen more rifles, a Dark Star Suppressor, and armor-piercing ammunition with his own money. He leaves with thirty rifles and 660 armor-piercing rounds.
• After Su Yi departs, Mantis tells the Iron Beetle that Su Yi can serve as a reliable distributor and draw the gang’s attention. He orders preparations for war.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Yi keeps his strength and intentions under wraps, but his decisive intervention earns the Iron Beetle’s trust. He also shows practical expertise by carefully inspecting and packing the weapons.
• The Iron Beetle shifts from surprise and suspicion to gratitude and cooperation. He recognizes Su Yi’s leverage and treats him as a valuable ally.
• Mantis emerges as a calculating leader: he uses a generous shipment to secure a capable partner and turn the conflict into an opportunity to challenge the Wolf Fang Gang.
• Su Yi and the Iron Beetle trade courteous, flattering remarks, masking a relationship built on mutual usefulness. Mantis and the Iron Beetle discuss the strategic value of Su Yi and the coming conflict.

Significant themes

• Trust forged through action: Su Yi’s willingness to fight for the Iron Beetle matters more than promises.
• Pragmatic alliances: Both sides cooperate because their interests align, not simply out of friendship.
• Power and leverage: Su Yi’s hidden strength makes him valuable, while the gang’s threat pushes rival dealers toward open resistance.
• Opportunity amid danger: Mantis sees the conflict as a chance to break the Wolf Fang Gang’s control and profit from the market.

Key plot points and events

• Su Yi and Alton leave the Blue Row House carrying bags of Casey 191 firearms, but two Patrol Police officers stop them and drag them into an alley.
• Su Yi avoids a fight by calmly bribing Senior Agent Colt Arthur and claiming he is following orders from his superior. When Colt finds Su Yi’s Black Sun Group ID, he realizes the situation is more serious than he expected.
• Su Yi reveals that he is Gifted, then uses his knowledge of Colt’s career and frustrations to persuade him that the company may soon move against the Wolf Fang Gang and its protector, Weber Nigel.
• Su Yi offers Colt a chance to advance by helping move the company’s goods across the border and keeping both the police and Wolf Fang Gang from interfering. He promises payment for Colt’s men, and Colt agrees enthusiastically.

Character developments

• Su Yi shifts from appearing deferential to projecting confidence and authority. He improvises a convincing story, reads Colt’s ambitions, and turns a risky police stop into a potential alliance.
• Colt Arthur begins as a corrupt officer taking bribes, but his resentment over stalled advancement makes him receptive to Su Yi’s offer. He moves from suspicion to hope and cooperation.
• Alton remains loyal and follows Su Yi’s instructions without needing an explanation.

Significant themes

• Deception and improvisation: Su Yi invents a story on the spot and presents coincidence as deliberate planning.
• Ambition and corruption: Colt’s desire for promotion makes him willing to overlook the law and assist the company.
• Power and influence: A corporate affiliation and Gifted status give Su Yi leverage beyond his personal strength.
• Competing interests: The company’s ambitions, local gang control, and strained ties with the mayor create an unstable political landscape.

Character interactions

• Su Yi stays calm under Colt’s threats, using money, his company ID, and his Gifted ability to reshape the encounter.
• He flatters Colt’s past achievements, recognizes his bitterness, and frames cooperation as a chance to become Director.
• Colt’s attitude changes from intimidation and suspicion to respectful partnership, while Alton quietly supports Su Yi’s efforts.

Plot points and events

• Colt reveals to Mike that he never truly intended to commit fully to the Wolf Fang Gang. He suspects the gang set them up to take the blame for killing a company Gifted, and warns Mike to keep quiet and stay close to him.
• Su Yi and Alton leave Rootvine District safely, reunite with Mota and Rijia, and use a secret passage to reach District Nine.
• At Enns’s Printing Factory, Su Yi delivers thirty Casey 191 rifles to Enns, whose Revolutionary Army has become much better equipped and more confident.
• Enns is eager to buy the rifles but balks at Su Yi’s price of 97 Void Abyss Coins apiece. Su Yi says his own costs leave little room to negotiate and starts packing up the guns.
• Winter and 108 arrive. After learning the situation, Winter asks Su Yi to offer a better deal, emphasizing their friendship and the prospect of ongoing business.
• Su Yi agrees to charge 96 coins per rifle and include two armor-piercing rounds with each. In return, Enns must buy the remaining seventy rifles and their ammunition within a week.

Character developments and interactions

• Colt shows himself to be a cautious opportunist: he advises Mike to conceal what happened and treats their alliance with the Wolf Fang Gang as a matter of self-preservation.
• Mike is alarmed by Colt’s claim that they were manipulated by the company, but accepts his uncle’s guidance.
• Su Yi handles the sale strategically, maintaining his price until Winter intervenes. The chapter reveals that his apparent concession was planned to make Winter’s appeal effective.
• Enns is delighted by the quality of the rifles but strained by their cost. He is deeply grateful when Winter negotiates on his behalf.
• Winter discovers that her influence with Su Yi is stronger than she expected; she uses it to help Enns and support the Revolutionary Army. 108 encourages her to try.
• The Evil God, now an officer in the Revolutionary Army, recognizes Su Yi as the mysterious supplier and alerts Winter, hoping the deal will strengthen their reputation.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism and survival: Colt’s warning reflects a world where alliances are uncertain and self-interest can be essential.
• Trust and influence: Winter’s friendship with Su Yi becomes a practical source of leverage.
• Revolution through resources: The rifles boost the Revolutionary Army’s morale and capacity, though the high price highlights the economic barriers facing District Nine’s residents.
• Negotiation and appearances: Su Yi’s planned concession shows how careful bargaining—and the impression of influence—can benefit everyone involved.

Key plot points and events

• Enns is delighted when Su Yi agrees to a discount on 30 guns, believing he has secured a bargain. The transaction is completed, and Su Yi earns 3,450 Void Abyss Coins—2,550 in net profit after accounting for the goods Mantis supplied.
• The players privately joke about Winter’s apparent influence over Su Yi, speculating that he may favor her. Winter insists she has no idea why he agreed.
• Su Yi privately gives Winter 50 coins as payment for the players’ help and proposes two further collaborations:
  1. Recruit trustworthy commoners from the Borderlands for ordinary paid jobs such as accounting, administration, driving, and labor.
  2. Investigate the wealthy Wolf Fang Gang, which Su Yi expects to become his enemy as his arms business grows.
• Su Yi promises that, if the players help defeat the gang, he may give them a share of the local arms trade. Winter is strongly tempted by the opportunity and agrees to pursue the alliance.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Yi presents himself as reluctant to offer the discount, then uses the deal to build goodwill and secure the players’ future cooperation. He wants loyal workers, not merely employees, and strategically turns a potential future business conflict into an incentive for the players to act on his behalf.
• Winter shifts from casual, combative banter with her fellow players to a professional negotiating manner with Su Yi. She questions his recruitment plan, but accepts it once he assures her the jobs are safe and paid. The promise of arms-trade profits makes her enthusiastic about confronting the Wolf Fang Gang.
• Enns is grateful to Su Yi and thrilled to obtain heavy firepower for his people. He sees the discounted purchase as a victory, unaware that Su Yi remains highly profitable.
• Evil God and 108 tease Winter about Su Yi’s special treatment and discuss whether the lifelike NPCs are driven by advanced AI. Winter dismisses their speculation.
• Su Yi and Winter establish mutual respect through the discount, payment, and proposed partnership, while Su Yi carefully frames his interests as opportunities for the players.

Significant themes

• Strategic generosity: Su Yi uses apparent concessions and promises to create loyalty and influence.
• Business and power: Firearms, recruitment, and control of trade are presented as tools for building political and economic strength.
• Player advantage: Winter recognizes that players can take risks because death only delays them briefly, making dangerous missions more acceptable.
• Agency and ambiguity: The players wonder whether NPC behavior is scripted or genuinely responsive, while Su Yi deliberately manipulates their expectations for his own plans.

Key plot points

• After negotiating with Winter, Su Yi leaves with the money despite Enns trying to persuade him to stay. Enns praises Su Yi’s self-control and leadership.
• The Revolutionary Army thanks Winter and her team, raising their faction reputation by 300 points—from Grateful to Respected, unlocking better faction rewards and services.
• Winter tells her teammates about Su Yi’s offer: help him take down the Wolf Fang Gang and they may share in a major arms-trade opportunity.
• The group assigns roles to prepare: 108 will help Su Yi recruit people, Evil God will establish a church that can serve as a base and provide protection from police searches, and Winter and Mountain Dog will investigate the Wolf Fang Gang.

Character developments and interactions

• Winter proves herself a capable leader: she keeps the team focused, evaluates the risks, and delegates tasks effectively.
• 108, Evil God, and Mountain Dog are initially overwhelmed by the reputation boost and then thrilled by the business opportunity. Their excitement leads to jokes about renaming themselves after Su Yi and founding a church in his honor.
• The teammates tease one another, but their loyalty to Winter is clear; they recognize that she secured the opportunity through her relationship with Su Yi.
• Winter frames the deal as more than an exciting in-game quest: success could let them become professional players and escape exploitative jobs.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and trust: Su Yi’s willingness to offer a share of the business builds the team’s commitment to him.
• Leadership and teamwork: Winter turns excitement into a practical plan, assigning each person work suited to their abilities.
• Opportunity and ambition: The faction reward and arms-trade prospect could transform the team’s future.
• Games as a path to real-world change: Winter sees their in-game success as a route toward financial freedom and better lives.

Plot points

• Su Yi rejects a dinner invitation, arguing that the company must focus on rebuilding and should avoid obligations that could undermine future business.
• He gives company boss Aolong 50 Void Abyss Coins and collects four KG-S1001 Exoskeletons for his team. Alton and Rijia are delighted by their newfound strength.
• Sefni visits to discuss work. Su Yi offers her two roles: training new employees and overseeing personnel, including identifying trustworthy recruits.
• Before she can accept, members of the Wolf Fang Gang surround Su Yi and demand to know whether he visited a particular row house. Su Yi uses his Exoskeleton to seriously injure their leader, and Alton, Rijia, and Mota quickly defeat the rest.
• Impressed by Su Yi’s confidence and seeing a possible path to revenge for Michelle, Sefni resolves to join the company, even for less pay than she initially hoped.

Character development and interactions

• Su Yi shows disciplined leadership, thinking strategically about the company’s future while rewarding Aolong and equipping his team. He also responds to the gang’s attack with decisive force.
• Sefni arrives expecting to be hired as a killer, but Su Yi recognizes her skills and offers her meaningful authority. His defense of her faction’s reputation moves her deeply and helps her trust him.
• Alton, Rijia, and Mota eagerly embrace their new Exoskeletons and act together to protect Su Yi during the attack.
• Su Yi and Sefni build mutual trust: she questions the risks of giving her influence over his staff, while he distinguishes her Spiritual Cultivation Faction from the notorious Desire Cultivation Faction.

Significant themes

• Leadership and long-term planning: Su Yi prioritizes rebuilding the company over immediate comfort.
• Trust and recognition: Sefni’s response reflects the harm caused by centuries of prejudice and the power of being treated fairly.
• Strength and loyalty: The Exoskeletons give the team confidence and help them defend one another.
• Ambition and revenge: Sefni sees employment with Su Yi as both a chance for stability and a possible route to avenge Michelle.

Key plot points and events

• Mota and Su Yi’s group defeat several Wolf Fang Gang thugs. Though Patrol Police arrive and threaten to arrest them, Aolong intervenes using his Black Sun Group status. Bell Max, the gang’s weapons-smuggling chief, backs down and leaves with the officers.
• Su Yi makes clear the conflict is not over, telling Bell to clean up the blood outside the company. Aolong agrees to support Su Yi when needed, while cautioning him not to go too far.
• Su Yi offers Sefni a job at the company for 100 Void Abyss Coins per month, with the possibility of a raise. She accepts and plans to start the next day.
• Su Yi begins planning a visit to Bright Orphanage, recognizing its future importance: its residents will include Kilman Kalbanyan and other figures who establish the Bright Star Sector.
• Emma, who secretly followed Sefni, overhears the events and sees that Su Yi is generous and genuinely respectful of Sefni. Her resentment toward him begins to ease.
• Emma then overhears two men plotting: a Wolf Fang Gang member hires Scarface, a Gifted, to investigate the group’s homes. They also discuss a shipment of sacrifices due to be collected by a Bishop the next day.

Character developments

• Su Yi demonstrates confidence and strategic foresight, relying on Aolong’s authority while managing the gang conflict himself. He also shows generosity by offering Sefni a salary far above her expectations.
• Aolong acts as a protector and corporate shield for Su Yi’s group, while trusting Su Yi to handle the situation.
• Sefni moves from uncertainty to acceptance of a new job and a chance at financial security.
• Emma begins to reconsider her negative impression of Su Yi after seeing his kindness toward Sefni and his opposition to the Wolf Fang Gang.
• Bell Max retreats when he realizes Su Yi’s group has company backing, revealing that his gang’s confidence depends on their targets being vulnerable.

Significant themes

• Power and protection: Corporate status can deter local police and criminal groups, while leaving those without influence exposed.
• Trust and second chances: Emma’s judgment of Su Yi shifts as she witnesses his actions rather than relying on her earlier assumptions.
• Opportunity and dignity: Su Yi’s offer gives Sefni both meaningful income and a place in the company.
• Foreshadowing and legacy: The orphanage’s future importance hints at the major figures and safe haven that will emerge during later crises.
• Hidden danger: The gang’s surveillance and the planned delivery of sacrifices suggest a larger threat beyond the street-level confrontation.

Character interactions

• Aolong uses his company position to force the police and Bell to withdraw, then privately affirms his trust in Su Yi.
• Su Yi rebukes Bell on his way out, asserting control without escalating into further violence.
• Su Yi negotiates with Sefni, whose surprise at the generous salary turns into enthusiastic acceptance.
• Emma silently reassesses Su Yi after hearing his conversation with Sefni, but her discovery of the gang’s plot leaves her with urgent new information.

Key plot points and events

• Emma overhears the Wolf Fang Gang and Scarface discussing plans to target Gheros’s associates’ families. She also learns the gang is helping Cultists transport living sacrifices.
• Recognizing the information as leverage against the gang, Emma tells Gheros (Su Yi) what she heard.
• Su Yi realizes the sacrifices may be part of the House of Loving Kindness’s larger scheme. Such rituals risk tearing open the barrier between the Void Abyss and the material world, creating permanent, dangerous contamination.
• Su Yi recalls that the Cult’s plots will later drive major events and that Emma was betrayed and killed in the original timeline. He sincerely thanks her and gives her fifty Void Abyss Coins.
• He offers her the possibility of working for him and someday earning far more. Emma leaves stunned by the money’s potential to improve life for the girls and women she cares about.
• Emma’s genuine joy and desire to help others earn her another Glimpse from the Great Twins. She rises four levels to level twenty, advances her Void Abyss Projection to stage three, and becomes eligible to learn a third Benediction.

Character developments

• Emma acts on her compassion and resourcefulness, choosing to warn Gheros rather than ignore a dangerous secret. The reward awakens her hopes of supporting her loved ones, and her spiritual growth strengthens her resolve to become a Saint.
• Su Yi/Gheros responds to Emma’s warning with gratitude and recognizes the importance of her information. His recollection of Emma’s tragic original fate makes this encounter especially significant.
• Emma’s aunt and the younger girls remain Emma’s motivation: she imagines providing them with food, education, gifts, prosthetics, and a better home.

Significant themes

• Compassion as strength: Emma’s desire to protect others leads her to act and earns divine favor.
• Money and hope: The fifty-coin reward turns abstract promises of wealth into concrete possibilities for improving her loved ones’ lives.
• Consequences of extremism: Living sacrifices threaten not only victims but the stability of the world itself.
• Changing fate: Su Yi’s knowledge of the original timeline and Emma’s new choices hint that her tragic future may be avoided.

Character interactions

• Emma and Su Yi establish trust through her warning and his sincere thanks, though he playfully catches her pretending not to have overheard his earlier conversation.
• Su Yi rewards Emma and invites her to work for him, tempting her with the prospect of far greater earnings.
• Emma’s imagined acts of generosity reveal the depth of her attachment to her sisters and aunts—and, in turn, trigger the Twins’ approval.

Key events

• After Emma leaves, Su Yi learns the Wolf Fang Gang plans to target the families of his employees. Rijia wants to hide her mother and sister at a church, Mota doubts hiding will be enough, and Alton vows to fight. Su Yi offers to find a solution.
• Su Yi catches up with Emma and sees four thugs from Camel’s company abduct her into an alley. They intend to assault her and hand her over to Camel.
• Emma uses her S-Class Boon, Mad Ecstasy, to incapacitate the attackers, but fears the bodies will expose her as a Sorceress.
• Su Yi arrives, reassures her, and uses his fiery power to burn the men’s remains, concealing the evidence at the cost of all his remaining Bandwidth.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Yi shows concern for both his employees and Emma. He acts decisively in the alley and comforts Emma, presenting himself as a dependable protector.
• Emma proves capable of defending herself, but is shaken by the aftermath and her inability to hide the evidence. Su Yi’s reassurance and intervention transform her fear into profound trust and devotion.
• Alton, Rijia, and Mota look to Su Yi for protection when their families are threatened, reflecting their confidence in him.
• Su Yi’s calm response to Emma contrasts with her panic; his words—“You’re not alone anymore”—become the emotional turning point of their encounter.

Significant themes

• Protection and trust: Su Yi’s intervention gives Emma a sense of safety she has never known.
• Atonement and rebirth: Emma interprets Su Yi’s arrival as the fulfillment of Sefni’s prophecy and proof that the Twins have granted a new beginning.
• Power and its consequences: Emma can defeat her attackers, but Su Yi must deal with the practical consequences, using up his remaining Bandwidth to erase the evidence.

Plot points and events

• After the bodies are burned, Emma thanks Su Yi for intervening. He discovers she has reached level 20, a remarkable leap from level 16. Emma can also disguise herself as an ordinary middle-aged woman.
• Su Yi offers Emma 50 Void Abyss Coins to help him take revenge on the Wolf Fang Gang. She eagerly agrees, especially because she hates the gang.
• That evening, Jon, a level-12 traveling priest of the House of Loving Kindness, secretly follows Alton. He believes the company workers are harmless and is focused on preserving the gang’s smuggling routes, which the church needs for its future plans.
• Jon watches Alton reunite with his sister Helen and show her two Void Abyss Coins as proof that he has earned money. Helen suspects the cash came from crime, but Alton claims it is his share from a new business.
• Jon leaves a threatening note near their door. Outside, a level-20 figure in an exoskeleton grabs him before he can draw his pistol. Su Yi confronts Jon, reveals he had detected Jon’s concealment skill, and invokes the fate of the Sisters of Pleasure as a warning to the church.
• Su Yi’s intimidating companion releases Jon at Su Yi’s request, leaving Su Yi to question him.

Character developments and interactions

• Emma is revealed to be extraordinarily talented and powerful. Her enthusiasm for the paid mission shows both her eagerness for reward and her personal desire for revenge.
• Su Yi is strategic and confident: he recruits Emma to strike back at the Wolf Fang Gang and calmly turns Jon’s surveillance against him.
• Jon shifts from arrogant observer to frightened captive. He misjudges the company’s strength and is stunned that Su Yi noticed him despite his stealth ability.
• Alton and Helen share a warm sibling interaction. Helen remains wary of Alton’s shady work, while Alton tries to reassure her by presenting his earnings.
• The level-20 enforcer’s brief intervention reinforces the threat behind Su Yi’s company, while Su Yi’s request that the man leave Jon alive establishes Su Yi as the one directing the encounter.

Significant themes

• Power hidden beneath appearances: Emma disguises herself, and Su Yi’s low level belies his authority and awareness.
• Survival and suspicion: In a violent neighborhood, people avoid looking too closely, while Helen’s concern reflects the risks of criminal work.
• Revenge and leverage: Su Yi turns Emma’s hatred of the gang into an alliance and uses the company’s strength to warn the church.
• Arrogance and miscalculation: Jon’s contempt for the workers leaves him unprepared for the danger surrounding them.

Key plot points

• Su Yi confronts Jon, the Wolf Fang Gang’s surviving operative, and threatens the gang by invoking its leaders’ families and displaying a rare suppressed pistol. Jon believes Su Yi is protected by a powerful corporation and agrees to deliver the warning.
• Su Yi reassures Alton and his companions that the gang will leave their families and friends alone for now.
• Emma, who helped disguise herself for the encounter, asks why Su Yi spared the gang. He explains that he is buying time to prepare before destroying it completely.
• At the gang’s nightclub, Jon angrily rebukes Bell, Cairo Mars, and Iron Sledgehammer for sending him into danger without investigating Su Yi’s background.
• Cairo decides not to provoke Su Yi immediately. Instead, the gang will focus on killing a man called Beetle, then target Su Yi and seize his alleged smuggling route.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Yi shows himself as a calm, strategic threat: he uses intimidation rather than starting an immediate fight, while privately planning a decisive attack. He rewards Emma for her help and sends her home.
• Jon shifts from defiance to fear, then vents his anger at the gang leaders for putting him at risk.
• Emma enjoys the success of the disguise and trusts Su Yi, though she is surprised by his choice to delay the conflict.
• Cairo appears measured and calculating, but his restraint is temporary; he plans to exploit the pause for the gang’s advantage.
• Bell accepts blame under Cairo’s reprimand, while Iron Sledgehammer wants immediate revenge and is talked down.

Significant themes

• Deception and misdirection: Both Su Yi and Cairo use apparent restraint to conceal longer-term plans.
• Power and reputation: The gang backs down largely because it believes Su Yi has corporate protection.
• Strategic patience: The chapter’s apparent truce is only a pause before competing plans for escalation.

Key plot points

• Su Yi is woken at 4:30 a.m. when Aolong tells him that Ilis Barrett has arrived to conduct charity work at the border. Su Yi, Alton, Mota, and Rijia rush to Border Square, where workers from seventeen debt-collection companies are hauling supplies for the event.
• Aolong is mocked by other company bosses for bringing only four workers. Su Yi quietly gives him ten Void Abyss Coins as yesterday’s commission. Aolong is pleased and publicly defends the group, saying all four are officially registered temporary workers.
• At the Patrol Police booth, officer Milai Hamps assigns the four men an unreasonable task: move two tons of Nutrient Beans to Area B5 within an hour. When Alton objects, Hamps insults and threatens them.
• Su Yi recognizes that Hamps is looking for a bribe but cannot use his skill because his Bandwidth will not recover until six. Colt, a former Hero detective whom Su Yi previously bribed, intervenes and takes over the booth. Su Yi gives Colt ten coins, and Colt replaces the impossible assignment with a manageable delivery of twenty flags to Area A2.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Yi stays composed and resourceful, using a modest payment to improve Aolong’s standing and later relying on his connection with Colt to escape Hamps’s abuse.
• Aolong shifts from frustration at being dragged into unpaid labor to pride in his crew, especially after receiving Su Yi’s commission.
• Alton, Mota, and Rijia show loyalty and anger at the officer’s treatment, while Su Yi keeps them from escalating the confrontation.
• Colt repays Su Yi’s earlier favor by stepping in and giving the group a fairer assignment. Hamps backs down rather than challenge him.

Significant themes

• Corruption and exploitation: Officials use public work to extract labor and bribes, while vulnerable workers are demeaned and overburdened.
• The value of connections: Su Yi’s relationships with Aolong and Colt turn a dangerous, unfair situation to the crew’s advantage.
• Power, status, and appearances: The bosses’ display of manpower and the charity event’s staged setting contrast with the workers’ harsh reality.
• Solidarity and loyalty: Despite insults and pressure, the crew supports one another, and Aolong publicly stands by his workers.

Key plot points and events

• Su Yi and his three companions use a work order to collect and hang twenty flags. Their easy assignment contrasts with the grueling labor imposed on other thugs—and with a patrol officer’s brutal treatment of one who complains.
• Alton, Rijia, and Mota celebrate the privilege they enjoy through Su Yi’s connections. He promises them a better future if they stay loyal and work hard.
• The flags turn out to be part of a livestreamed political showdown between Iris Barrett’s faction and the Rhodes Alliance. Large crowds, officers, laborers, and thugs gather for the event.
• Iris arrives aboard an impressive private aircraft, escorted by armored guards. Su Yi recognizes her and recalls her future rise to power, viewing her as a valuable ally—and an opportunity for his own advancement.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Yi shows growing ambition and confidence. He rewards his companions’ loyalty with promises of status and luxury, while privately calculating how to benefit from Iris’s future influence.
• Alton, Rijia, and Mota feel grateful and admiring toward Su Yi, recognizing that his influence protects them from the dangerous conditions faced by others.
• Iris makes a striking public entrance, appearing composed, aloof, and powerful. Su Yi’s knowledge of her history reveals her difficult family past and the ruthless political transformation that lies ahead.
• The patrol officer and tattooed thug illustrate the hierarchy’s coercive nature: questioning unequal treatment is met with violence and intimidation.

Significant themes

• Privilege and power: People resent unfair advantages until they benefit from them themselves.
• Social inequality and coercion: The laborers and thugs endure harsh work under armed authority, while a favored group receives an easy task.
• Ambition and loyalty: Su Yi offers his companions a share in future success, tying their hopes to him.
• Public image and political spectacle: The elaborate preparations and livestream setting frame the coming contest as both a political struggle and a performance.
• Rise through contrast: The chapter emphasizes the harshness of life at the bottom, setting up the significance of later advancement.

Key plot points and events

• During Black Sun Corporation’s charity event, Iris Barrett arrives to a media spectacle as employees sing the company anthem and supporters wave flags.
• Su Yi notices that Patrol Police Director Weber Nigel is unusually powerful despite lacking a Void Abyss Projection. His status suggests he is involved in a “plan” and expects Iris’s praise.
• Su Yi recalls Winter mentioning a terrorist attack at a charity event in the original timeline. He suspects this is the same attack and spots 108 with three players known as the Three Bros.
• Iris, whose hidden power appears connected to a mysterious divine figure, announces large-scale aid for Wasteland refugees: food, clothing, medicine, supplies, and free schooling for 1,000 children.
• Her speech wins over the crowd, while the rival Rhodes Alliance’s poorly organized presentation falters. Wolf Fang Gang members, including deputy leader Cairo Mars, are present in Patrol Police uniforms.
• Rather than report his suspicions, Su Yi decides to use the coming chaos to make a name for his group. He tells Alton and the others to prioritize rescuing children if the attack begins.

Character developments

• Su Yi shows quick thinking and pragmatism: he recognizes the likely threat, weighs the risks of reporting it, and turns the crisis into a chance to gain attention.
• Iris presents herself as compassionate and composed, but her profile and inner description suggest deep grief, vengeance, and allegiance to a powerful, enigmatic being.
• Alton and the others are shocked by Su Yi’s plan and initially doubt they can help amid a crowd of tens of thousands.
• Cairo Mars openly looks down on Su Yi, who appears to him to be merely doing menial flag work.

Significant themes

• Charity as spectacle and influence: Black Sun’s aid presentation is both humanitarian messaging and a contest for public favor.
• Survival and exploitation: Refugees endure hardship and exploitation because the city offers their only chance at survival, while its prosperity depends on their labor.
• Moral calculation in crisis: Su Yi focuses on saving children—not everyone—while also seeking recognition.
• Hidden power and deception: Weber’s unexplained strength and Iris’s mysterious divine connection hint that the public event conceals larger schemes.

Character interactions

• Iris’s speech wins the refugees’ admiration, while the Rhodes Alliance struggles to compete.
• Su Yi warns his companions about the possible attack and instructs them to focus on protecting children.
• Cairo’s contemptuous reaction to Su Yi reinforces the rivalry and status divide between them.

Key plot points and events

• Su Yi instructs Alton and the others to help at the supply checkpoints. While supplies are distributed, Ilis presents a warm, compassionate image for the reporters.
• Su Yi encounters Bell, the patrol officer who had arranged an attack on his friends’ families. Bell tries to drive him away, but Su Yi reminds him that he is officially employed by the company.
• Two explosions trigger a deadly stampede, while armed terrorists fire into the crowd. Su Yi kicks Bell down and escapes with his companions, using the chaos to rescue children from the crush.
• Rick’s armored guards kill the remaining attackers. Ilis and Weber calm the crowd over loudspeakers and direct patrol officers to restore order.
• Once the gunfire stops, Su Yi and his companions emerge bloodied with more than a dozen children. Su Yi raises an injured child and cries, “At least... save the children!”—a scene captured by the media beneath the company and peace flags.
• Ilis orders doctors to save the child, directs outlets to feature the image, and asks Rick to vet Su Yi’s background. She sees the photograph as a valuable fundraising opportunity.

Character developments

• Su Yi shows both ruthlessness and compassion: he retaliates against Bell, then risks himself to rescue children and turns the rescue into a public appeal.
• Alton and his companions move from confusion to following Su Yi’s lead, helping save and protect the children.
• Ilis shifts from carefully staged benevolence to recognizing the political and financial value of the disaster’s imagery. Her concern for the child is real enough to prompt urgent medical aid, but it is entwined with publicity and profit.
• Bell is overwhelmed by the stampede after confronting Su Yi and is trampled.
• Rick and his guards respond efficiently and decisively, eliminating the attackers and protecting Ilis.

Significant themes

• Compassion amid catastrophe: The children’s rescue becomes the clearest expression of humanity amid mass violence.
• Public image and manipulation: Charity, flags, and the rescue scene are all shaped into media narratives, with Ilis calculating their impact.
• Violence and its consequences: The terrorists’ attack and the stampede cause indiscriminate death, while Su Yi’s personal revenge blends into the larger chaos.
• Heroism as spectacle: Su Yi’s courageous act is genuine, but its value is immediately measured in headlines and donations.

Character interactions

• Su Yi challenges Bell’s authority and confronts him over his past actions before the crisis turns fatal.
• Su Yi leads Alton and the others in rescuing children, reminding them to make their bloodied appearance visible.
• Ilis gives public instructions to the crowd, then privately directs Rick to manage the rescue’s publicity and investigate Su Yi.

Key plot points and events

• Su Yi saves injured children during a bloody, chaotic incident, despite being badly hurt himself.
• Ilis Barrett sends emergency medical ships, orders treatment and shelter for the injured, and deploys patrol officers to restore order. Reporters capture her response.
• Rick identifies Su Yi and, wary of his background, asks Patrol Bureau director Weber to ensure Su Yi’s upcoming interview does not cause trouble.
• Weber’s aide Cairo interrupts the reporters and falsely claims Weber ordered the rescue, apparently hoping to win public credit for him.
• Su Yi publicly rejects Cairo’s claim and says he does not know him or belong to the Patrol Team.
• Asked who ordered him to save the children and why, Su Yi replies that no order or ulterior motive was needed: saving children is simply the right thing to do. He challenges the reporters’ assumption that compassion must be self-serving.
• Impressed, Ilis cancels her backup intervention and asks Rick to investigate Su Yi further.

Character developments

• Su Yi emerges as composed, perceptive, and morally direct. Though wounded and apparently guileless, he recognizes the attempted deception and answers the reporters with striking conviction.
• Ilis shows capable leadership by organizing relief, then recognizes Su Yi’s answer as both sincere and powerful. Her curiosity about him grows.
• Rick moves from suspicion to interest as Su Yi handles the interview better than expected.
• Weber and Cairo reveal their opportunism: Cairo tries to fabricate credit for Weber, while Weber welcomes the prospect of public recognition.

Significant themes

• Compassion versus self-interest: Su Yi insists that saving vulnerable children should not require an order or personal benefit.
• Public image and political credit: Weber’s camp tries to turn a humanitarian crisis into a publicity opportunity.
• Class and moral assumptions: Su Yi exposes the reporters’ and elites’ tendency to assume that good deeds must have hidden motives.
• The power of public narrative: The reporters’ coverage could shape reputations, but Su Yi turns their loaded questions into a moral challenge.

Character interactions

• Ilis’s commands coordinate the emergency response, while Rick keeps her informed and follows her direction.
• Rick and Weber arrange to manage the interview; Weber sends Cairo, whose attempt to take credit is quickly challenged.
• Su Yi directly confronts Cairo, then answers the reporters’ questions in a way that silences them and wins Ilis’s admiration.

Key plot points and events

• A reporter tries to suggest Su Yi’s rescue of the children was staged to benefit Ilis Barrett. Su Yi deftly presents it as volunteer work inspired by Strongarm Finance’s boss, Aolong, and Ilis’s charitable example.
• When reporters ask for his name, Su Yi pretends to faint. He wants to avoid scrutiny of his troubled past and leave Ilis free to present a more suitable public hero if needed.
• Ilis and Rick recognize Su Yi’s performance as skillful and politically aware. Though his background prevents Ilis from promoting him openly, they see value in his street experience and gang connections.
• Rick visits Su Yi in the temporary ward and gives him a test: within a month, defeat the Wolf Fang Gang and bring all gangs in Rootvine District under his control. Su Yi accepts, pleased to have secured Ilis’s backing.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Yi shows composure, strategic thinking, and ambition. He protects his reputation by refusing public recognition and plans to build influence gradually rather than accept a risky top-down promotion.
• Aolong is moved when Su Yi credits him publicly and takes pride in his employee’s talent.
• Ilis judges Su Yi capable but recognizes that his record makes him unsuitable for direct appointment. She decides to test his usefulness through Rick.
• Rick admires Su Yi, seeing something of his younger self in him, and becomes his intermediary and mentor. Their meeting confirms that Su Yi’s calculated behavior has earned a chance to prove himself.

Significant themes

• Reputation and public image: Su Yi manages what reporters can learn about him, recognizing that heroism can be undermined by a troubled past.
• Merit and political maneuvering: Advancement depends not only on ability but on factions, credibility, and demonstrated results.
• Trust earned through action: Ilis offers no immediate promotion; Su Yi must prove himself by consolidating power in the district.
• Strategic restraint: Su Yi deliberately avoids taking the spotlight or exposing his deeper resources before he has built a secure base.

Key plot points and events

• Rick offers Su Yi a reward for his actions at the charity event. Su Yi asks for a promotion for his superior, Olon Ford, and for Strongarm Company to become a legitimate trading and investment business rather than remain a debt-collection agency.
• Rick is impressed by Su Yi’s loyalty, political insight, and ambition. Su Yi vows to prove he is a powerful asset, not a disposable “dog.”
• After the event, Su Yi assigns his trusted colleagues new responsibilities: Alton will recruit experienced fighters, Mota will gather grassroots doctors for a planned border hospital, and Rijia will use his Church of the Goddess of White Frost connections to help provide cover for future arms smuggling.
• Su Yi introduces Sefni, a combat professional who will train recruits. She agrees to accompany him the next day to find children for his plan.
• Meanwhile, Olon worries that Su Yi’s performance may have upset company leadership. Instead, an evaluation supervisor informs him that Su Yi requested his promotion. Olon’s grade rises from L4 to L7, with a higher salary, bonuses, and a housing allowance.

Character developments

• Su Yi shows gratitude, loyalty, strategic foresight, and confidence. He thinks beyond immediate rewards, begins building a broader organization, and entrusts important work to his companions.
• Rick gains respect for Su Yi’s character and political awareness, while remaining intrigued by his potential.
• Olon moves from anxiety to deep gratitude and emotional attachment after learning Su Yi secured his promotion.
• Alton, Mota, and Rijia are energized by Su Yi’s trust and take on roles suited to their experience and connections.
• Sefni is introduced as a capable recruit, ready to train the company’s fighters and assist Su Yi’s next plan.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and gratitude: Su Yi’s first request is to reward Olon, showing that he remembers those who helped him.
• Ambition and survival: Su Yi recognizes the danger facing debt-collection agencies and seeks to transform the company before it is discarded.
• Trust and opportunity: Su Yi gives his companions meaningful responsibilities, turning personal confidence into an organizational plan.
• Building power through practical networks: Fighters, doctors, religious contacts, and training form the foundations of Su Yi’s expanding enterprise.

Character interactions

• Rick tests Su Yi’s priorities by offering a reward; Su Yi’s requests earn Rick’s admiration.
• Su Yi rallies Alton, Mota, and Rijia by recognizing their talents and assigning each a crucial task. Their enthusiastic responses show their trust in him.
• Su Yi introduces Sefni to the team and coordinates with her about training and the search for children.
• Olon’s coworkers treat him more warmly after the event, but the decisive change comes when the supervisor reveals Su Yi’s request. Olon’s gratitude culminates in declaring Su Yi his brother.

Plot points and events

• Aolong is promoted from L5 to L7 and learns that Strongarm Company will shift from debt collection to trade and investment. It receives a budget of 2,000 Void Abyss Coins and a Black Sun Group franchise license, with a monthly dividend target of 600 coins.
• Realizing Su Yi arranged the opportunity, Aolong returns to the company and declares that Strongarm belongs to them both. Su Yi welcomes the partnership.
• The group reviews its new license, which lets them route their gun-sale earnings through company accounts. They discuss hiring Alton’s sister, an accounting student, to manage the books.
• Meanwhile, Webber and Cairo blame Su Yi—whom they call “Wild Dog”—for disrupting their business. Webber orders surveillance, harassment, and a future inspection, while Cairo warns that the gang has lost many people in the recent stampede.
• The Players compare notes on their plans against the Wolf Fang Gang. When 108 returns with footage of Godfather protecting children, they praise his actions and decide to use the pose for a statue—and potentially as a fundraising campaign.

Character developments

• Aolong moves from seeing Su Yi as a source of money to sincerely respecting and appreciating him. His promotion gives him renewed ambition.
• Su Yi strengthens his position as Strongarm’s strategic leader, while treating Aolong as a genuine partner.
• Webber becomes more openly hostile and resolves to target Su Yi covertly.
• The Players become more enthusiastic about supporting Godfather, though their righteous talk is mixed with plans to profit from donations.

Significant themes

• Trust and reciprocity: Aolong’s gratitude marks a shift in his relationship with Su Yi.
• Ambition and opportunity: Aolong’s promotion revives goals he had given up on.
• Corruption and power: The company’s tax privileges offer Su Yi a way to legitimize questionable earnings, while Webber plans abuse of authority.
• Idealism and self-interest: The Players sincerely admire Godfather’s compassion but also see fundraising and publicity opportunities.

Character interactions

• Aolong and Su Yi share an emotional reconciliation and agree to build the company together.
• Aolong consults Su Yi on hiring Alton’s sister, reflecting Su Yi’s influence and Aolong’s trust in his judgment.
• Webber directs Cairo and the Patrol Police to keep pressure on Su Yi, while Cairo’s manpower shortage complicates the plan.
• The Players bond over 108’s footage, turning admiration for Godfather into plans for a statue and a charitable campaign.