Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Robert and the Disney delegation object to Shen Bing’s demand that Disney absorb shipping and tax costs. Shen argues that Phantom Immortal Technology should not sacrifice its profits for a U.S. sale.
• Shen’s assistant, Yan Lexuan, reveals that Dream Glass production is booked through September. Disney recognizes that waiting would cost it a competitive advantage and agrees to cover shipping and customs.
• After hard bargaining, the sides settle on a 30% price increase: Disney pays $2.6 billion. Phantom Immortal Technology promises delivery within three months, with at least 20% shipped in the first month.
• Shen plans to use the revenue to fund industrial-park construction and geothermal projects, while also replenishing the nearly empty balance in the Gate to the Immortal Realm’s Online Mall.
• At the underground base, Shen reviews the nearly completed Golden Pangolin, a deep-boring machine designed to drill geothermal wells rapidly by pulverizing and reconsolidating rock. When Lu Xian points out that its power cables may not withstand underground conditions, Shen proposes using the Superpower Engine’s insulating coating.
• Shen then asks Qiuqiu for the results of a previous research task. Qiuqiu reports that it has filtered out unsuitable material and assembled the most complete, accurate technical information available.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing demonstrates confidence and commercial ruthlessness in negotiations, using production scarcity to strengthen his position. He is also increasingly focused on funding ambitious projects and solving practical engineering problems.
• Robert begins the meeting furious at Shen’s terms but ultimately accepts the higher price because Disney cannot afford to lose its first-mover advantage.
• Yan Lexuan supports Shen’s negotiating strategy by presenting a production schedule that reinforces the pressure on Disney.
• Lu Xian identifies a crucial flaw in the Golden Pangolin’s design, prompting Shen to provide a technical fix.
• Qiuqiu shows diligence by evaluating and removing unreliable technical information before reporting back to Shen.

Significant themes

• Leverage and negotiation: Scarcity and timing can be as valuable as the product itself.
• Innovation and practical problem-solving: Advanced technology still depends on addressing ordinary engineering constraints, such as power delivery.
• Ambition and resource limits: Shen’s plans are expansive, but both his company’s finances and the Online Mall’s dwindling funds remain constraints.
• Competitive advantage: Being first to adopt a groundbreaking attraction may matter more than simply adopting it later.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing reviews extensive high-energy physics research collected by Qiuqiu, an AI assistant, and decides to build a particle accelerator himself. He needs it to produce radioactive polonium, which will eventually help him make nobelium gold. He keeps the project secret and postpones developing a more advanced device for transferring information directly into the brain.
• Phantom Immortal Technology announces that its new tunneling equipment is progressing and that the company is tackling the challenges of room-temperature superconducting material. It also plans to acquire technology from Jibada Company, reportedly for US$2 billion, to use in the equipment.
• The vague announcement becomes a joke online: most observers doubt the company can achieve a breakthrough in superconductors, while overlooking the acquisition.
• The announcement draws attention at the highest levels of the military and government. Commander Gao calls his son, Gao Jingchuan, and orders him to contact Shen Bing to verify the claim.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains self-reliant and secretive, taking on the accelerator project because his research teams are not yet capable of working independently.
• Qiuqiu efficiently retrieves and displays the research materials, supporting Shen’s work.
• Gao Jingchuan, newly transferred to the Capital City Logistics Department Equipment Procurement Bureau, is exhausted and initially confused by his father’s late-night call. He trusts Shen Bing’s claims completely, joking that Shen is a “badass” whose words are always right.
• Commander Gao is pleased by Shen’s latest activity but treats the superconductor announcement as urgent after receiving instructions from a top leader. He lectures his son and insists he investigate. Jingchuan agrees, though he worries Shen may hang up on him.

Significant themes

• Exceptional individual talent versus institutional capacity: Shen can undertake major research alone, while his organization’s research divisions are still understaffed and developing.
• Public skepticism versus insider trust: The public mocks the vague announcement, but those familiar with Shen’s record—including military officials—take the claim seriously.
• The strategic importance of technology: Room-temperature superconductors are presented as potentially vital to fields such as nuclear fusion and electric propulsion, making Shen’s work a matter of national interest.
• Secrecy and information gaps: Shen conceals his accelerator research, while the public fixates on the announcement’s boldest claim and overlooks the company’s costly foreign technology acquisition.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing works late on the Particle Accelerator while Lu Xian tests the modified Golden Pangolin. The machine drills a tunnel over a hundred meters long, lining it with rock harder than granite.
• Shen plans to use the Golden Pangolin to build a secret supply passage between the Underground Base and Phantom Immortal Industrial Park. He sees the machine as a future flagship product, but does not intend to release it yet—or, eventually, without limiting its performance.
• Shen assigns ordinary Golden Pangolin parts to the Machinery Factory. Lu Xian will continue making the critical engine and molecular-processing components himself until the company’s security is strong enough to protect the technology.
• Gao Jingchuan calls from Kyoto to ask about Phantom Immortal’s progress on room-temperature superconducting material. Shen confirms the work is underway, says success is expected, and promises to share news.
• The next morning, the company announces that it has already developed the material and can produce it on a small scale. The sudden turnaround shocks the public and sparks jokes about Shen solving a decades-old challenge “in one night.”
• Gao, who had hoped to receive advance notice, calls Shen angrily. Shen claims he stayed up all night after their conversation and only then solved the problem. Gao recognizes the excuse as a lie but restrains himself because he expects to ask Shen for help. He presses instead for details about production volume and the material’s superconducting properties; Shen says output will be low and large-scale production costly.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is ambitious and strategic: he plans for future transport and product development while tightly controlling access to valuable technology. He also enjoys teasing Gao and misleading him about the timing of the breakthrough.
• Lu Xian demonstrates the Golden Pangolin’s effectiveness and continues to shoulder the most sensitive manufacturing work.
• Gao Jingchuan acts as a potential link to government research institutes, but is frustrated by Shen’s evasions. Though he sees through Shen’s story, he stays measured because he may need Shen’s cooperation.
• Their conversations are marked by friendly insults and banter, with Shen steering the exchange and Gao repeatedly trying to get a straight answer.

Significant themes

• Control of advanced technology: Shen limits product performance and delays wider production until security improves.
• Scientific secrecy and strategic communication: Public announcements and private conversations serve different purposes, and Shen reveals information selectively.
• The gap between extraordinary progress and public expectations: The overnight announcement becomes a comic spectacle, prompting disbelief and envy.
• Humor and friendship: The chapter uses exaggerated insults and teasing to balance its technological developments with lighthearted character interaction.

Plot points and events

• Gao Jingchuan presses Shen Bing for a truthful estimate of the output of Phantom Immortal Technology’s room-temperature superconducting material. Shen says production could reach about ten tonnes a year, but the company must prioritize deep-boring equipment for its geothermal power project.
• Gao argues that the material should first support military research, including fusion, electric-propulsion ships, and military chips. Shen counters that nuclear deterrence makes direct war unlikely, so investing in energy and economic development may be wiser than trying to outmatch the United States militarily. He offers to reserve some material for national research.
• Gao agrees to report Shen’s position to the Chief, leaving the final decision to the national leadership.
• Shen reflects on the dangerous, poorly understood technologies he has acquired through the Immortal Realm. He is particularly cautious about purgatory demon gold, whose “baleful energy” and extreme hardness make it unsafe and impractical to bring into the real world.
• Phantom Immortal Technology’s announcement attracts worldwide attention. Some observers doubt the claim, while others consider how to respond if it proves true. Shen’s growing reputation as a once-in-a-century genius is reinforced by his company’s previous breakthroughs.
• Back home, Shen finds Little Doudou play-fighting with a large Garfield-like cat. The unfamiliar cat calms after Little Doudou meows at it, and Shen realizes the pair can communicate. Little Doudou proudly calls the cat his girlfriend and presents her to Shen.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident and strategic, prioritizing geothermal energy and economic growth over immediate military applications. His caution about purgatory demon gold also shows his willingness to delay using powerful technology when its risks are unknown.
• Gao Jingchuan is patriotic and eager to strengthen the military, but he listens to Shen’s economic argument and accepts that the decision lies above him.
• Little Doudou shows unexpected social and communicative abilities, appearing to have formed a bond with the Garfield-like cat. He jokes that bringing a girlfriend home is like introducing her to his parents, embarrassing Shen.
• Shen and Little Doudou interact with familiar exasperation: Shen is bewildered by the cat’s behavior and online-inspired ideas, while Little Doudou is smug and self-assured.

Significant themes

• Economic growth versus military strength: The chapter weighs immediate defense advantages against investing in energy, industry, and long-term national development.
• Responsible use of technology: Shen recognizes that possessing advanced materials does not mean they should be deployed before their uses and risks are understood.
• Scientific reputation and uncertainty: The superconducting-material claim creates global interest, but skepticism remains until it is verified.
• Humor and domestic contrast: The geopolitical discussion gives way to a playful household scene, highlighting the gap between Shen’s world-changing work and Little Doudou’s ridiculous “romance.”

Plot and events

• Little Doudou asks Shen Bing to make a Basic Spiritual Wisdom Potion and an Animal Enhancement Serum for Feifei, the Garfield cat. He hopes the preparations will help Feifei become smarter and stronger so the two cats can be better companions. Shen Bing agrees, while warning him not to waste the expensive cat food.
• Shen Bing’s father calls to say that he and Shen Bing’s mother have bought a luxury duplex and are leaving the next day for a long Spring Festival trip abroad. They ask Shen Bing to water their garden and contribute to the trip’s budget; he transfers them one million yuan.
• At work, Shen Bing meets with senior managers to finalize the company’s year-end bonus plan. After discussion, he approves a detailed system linking bonuses to employees’ attendance and performance. Yan Lexuan worries that unusually generous bonuses could create unsustainable expectations, but Shen Bing insists the company can afford them.
• Shen Bing expects to spend New Year alone in Rongcheng. A notification from the Gate to the Immortal Realm interrupts him, and he enters to find Nezha, Erlang Shen, and the Great Sage Sun nearby. They have only just noticed him after getting absorbed in a game of Fight the Landlord.

Character developments and interactions

• Little Doudou reveals his loneliness: ordinary cats cannot match his abilities, and he wants Feifei to become a closer companion. Shen Bing recognizes this and agrees to help.
• Shen Bing and his parents trade affectionate teasing. Shen Bing is surprised—and mildly offended—by their plans, but accepts their request and supports their trip.
• Shen Bing and Yan Lexuan show mutual respect: she raises a practical concern about the bonus policy, while he confidently explains his reasoning.
• Shen Bing and the immortals provide the chapter’s comic ending: Nezha admires Shen Bing’s supposed ability to meditate anywhere, Erlang Shen is grumpy after losing games, and the Great Sage claims Shen Bing is like him.

Significant themes

• Companionship and loneliness: Little Doudou’s request underscores his isolation in the human world.
• Family affection expressed through humor: Shen Bing’s parents’ “tricks” and his sarcastic reactions conceal a warm, supportive relationship.
• Leadership and generosity: Shen Bing balances concerns about expectations against his confidence in the company’s future.
• Comedy through contrast: Ordinary family and workplace matters sit alongside extraordinary cats, immortals, and a virtual-world game.

Key plot points and events

• After the gambling match, Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen leave. Nezha explains that Wukong won heavily while Erlang lost; Nezha is pleased because his long confinement is nearly over.
• Grateful for Shen Bing’s help keeping him entertained, Nezha gives him 1,000 immortal jade and offers him a choice of one item from a pile of gifts.
• Shen Bing asks to borrow Nezha’s Wind Fire Wheels, hoping to analyze them, but Nezha refuses and tells him to choose from the pile.
• Unable to identify the objects, Shen Bing picks a talisman. Nezha reveals it is a Basic Beast-Subjugation Talisman, a low-level toy by immortal standards—but it may still be useful in the mortal world, where even small immortal beasts are powerful.
• Nezha sends Shen Bing away so he can return to his studies. Back on Illusory Void Island, Shen Bing plants his remaining peach pit beside a stream, wondering whether the island can support an immortal peach tree and whether the system will handle its care.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains opportunistic and curious: he seeks valuable rewards, hopes to analyze Nezha’s treasures, and looks for ways to exploit the talisman’s abilities. He also maintains politeness toward Nezha despite his private complaints.
• Nezha shows gratitude by giving Shen Bing immortal jade and a choice of gift, but keeps his prized weapons to himself. He is eager to end their visit and resume studying so he can satisfy his father.
• Shen Bing and Nezha have a friendly but unequal relationship: Nezha is generous, while Shen Bing privately hopes for more valuable rewards and resents being treated as entertainment.

Significant themes

• Different standards of value: An item dismissed as a child’s toy in the Immortal Realm may be powerful in the mortal world.
• Opportunity and uncertainty: Shen Bing must choose rewards without knowing what they do, and he continues experimenting with the system to uncover their potential.
• Transactional gratitude: Nezha repays Shen Bing’s help, while Shen Bing weighs every gift for its practical value.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing checks on the Immortal Peach he planted, but can’t tell whether it needs watering or whether planting it worked.
• He reviews three treasures in his Inventory. The Underworld-Peering Mirror is too advanced for the Gate to the Immortal Realm, and one Forced Analysis attempt fails. He successfully analyzes the Heavenly Thunder Talisman, obtaining two-star Stun Gun Production Technology. The Basic Beast-Subjugation Talisman also proves too advanced, and its Forced Analysis fails.
• Shen Bing reflects on the risks of repeatedly forcing analysis. He decides to make only one attempt on any item beyond the system’s current level, preserving valuable treasures for future upgrades.
• He leaves several difficult quests unfinished, confident that he has completed his daily quests and will not face punishment.
• After receiving a $200 million deposit from Disney, Shen Bing converts the money into 1,310 Immortal Jade. Though tempted to spend 1,000 jade to bring out the Self-Propelled Immortal Carriage, he rejects the idea as an extravagant thrill.
• He has lunch with senior executives at the company’s employee-only restaurant, then visits Zhenghua Pharmacy to buy ingredients for the two potions he promised to make for Little Doudou.
• On the drive back, Shen Bing invites his driver, Li Xiao, to spend New Year’s with him after Li visits his family’s graves. Li agrees.
• Qiuqiu calls with a warning: it has detected two GPS signals near Shen Bing’s car—the known signal from the vehicle and an unexplained second one.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows greater patience and restraint with treasure analysis, learning from earlier failures rather than gambling repeatedly.
• He remains ambitious and curious, but demonstrates financial discipline by resisting the urge to show off with the flying carriage.
• His invitation to Li Xiao reveals a considerate, companionable side; Li, who has no living family to visit, accepts.
• Qiuqiu acts as Shen Bing’s vigilant technological aide, ending the chapter with a potentially urgent alert.

Significant themes

• Patience and preservation: Shen Bing chooses to protect powerful treasures until the system can handle them.
• Restraint amid wealth and power: He weighs the excitement of extraordinary technology against its cost.
• Companionship and care: Shen Bing’s invitation offers Li Xiao company during a lonely holiday.
• Uncertainty and suspense: The unexplained GPS signal introduces a possible threat just as Shen Bing is heading home.

Plot and key events

• Shen Bing learns from Qiuqiu that a GPS signal has been fixed to his vehicle and is moving in lockstep with it. Qiuqiu traces the signal to a vanishingly close point behind him on the same street, confirming that someone began tracking him after he left Zhenghua Pharmacy.
• Li Xiao recalls seeing a van near the pharmacy. Its door opened briefly as the vehicles passed, and several foreigners were inside. Shen Bing concludes they are likely the trackers.
• Shen Bing reasons that his pursuers may want either money or him personally. He decides not to simply mislead them: he wants to deal with them while avoiding a conspicuous disappearance that could trigger a major police search or diplomatic trouble.
• The scene shifts to the pursuing Buick van. Its foreign crew are tracking Shen Bing’s location and debating how to capture him. They reject a public grab in Rongcheng because it would draw the attention of Huaxia authorities, and instead favor a discreet approach.
• When their target changes direction, the crew wonders whether he has detected them. They remain confident in their tracker, but their conversation reveals uncertainty about how best to proceed.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing stays composed and analytical, using Qiuqiu’s technical help to identify the threat. Though he is not a trained fighter, he has resources—including a Heavenly Thunder Talisman—and is confident he can retaliate. His concern about public consequences shows he is thinking beyond simply defeating the pursuers.
• Li Xiao remains loyal and obedient, reporting what he noticed without challenging Shen Bing’s decisions. He trusts his boss’s capabilities, though that confidence is based partly on an exaggerated reputation.
• Qiuqiu demonstrates impressive digital surveillance and tracing abilities, promptly sending Shen Bing map images and a live location.
• The pursuers are a varied, tense group. Jack and the middle-aged man stress caution and the risks of operating openly in Huaxia; the young Western woman takes charge and demands focus. A reckless, talkative little man repeatedly suggests rash alternatives and is silenced by the others. A quiet, easily overlooked operative speaks once and immediately stops him.

Significant themes

• Technology as both weapon and vulnerability: A tracker enables the foreigners to follow Shen Bing, but Qiuqiu’s superior network skills expose it.
• Caution and consequences: Both sides recognize that a public kidnapping could provoke a powerful response; Shen Bing likewise wants to prevent collateral disruption and unnecessary use of public resources.
• Appearance versus reality: The pursuers underestimate the unusual, ordinary-looking Wuling Hongguang, while Shen Bing’s reputation among his associates exaggerates his fighting ability. His real advantage lies in intelligence, composure, and extraordinary resources.
• Foreshadowed confrontation: Shen Bing’s resolve and the pursuers’ proximity set up an impending clash, with his remark that they will not leave implying he intends to take control of the situation.

Plot points and events

• Jack’s six-person crew follows Shen Bing and Li Xiao in a heavily modified van, unaware that Shen has been tracking them and recording their faces and conversation. Shen also discovers they have planted a tracker on his car.
• Rather than confront the pursuers or call the police, Shen lets them follow and directs Li Xiao toward Eight-Eyed Bridge. He contacts Lu Xian and texts Little Doudou as part of a plan.
• On the bridge, the pursuers’ van suddenly accelerates uncontrollably. Its brakes and steering fail, and it crashes through the railing into the river.
• As the men try to escape the sinking van, Little Doudou—a small cat—appears underwater and knocks each of them unconscious with a single powerful strike. The men then mysteriously disappear.
• Witnesses and rescue workers find the van empty. Police identify the occupants as six foreign nationals, prompting an urgent, high-level response because of the potential diplomatic consequences. It remains unclear whether the men are dead or escaped.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains calm and confident, treating the pursuers as people already caught in his control. His exchanges with Li Xiao reveal both his strategic thinking and Li Xiao’s loyalty and concern for his safety.
• Li Xiao initially wants to ram the van or call the police, but trusts Shen once he understands that Shen has a plan.
• Jack and his crew are confident while tailing Shen, but quickly become terrified when their vehicle malfunctions. Their surprise at the cat underscores how completely they misunderstand the situation.
• Little Doudou acts as Shen’s unseen enforcer, turning an apparent accident into a controlled capture—or disappearance.
• Bystanders, rescuers, and police struggle to explain the empty van and face mounting pressure once the victims’ foreign citizenship is discovered.

Significant themes

• Hunter and hunted: The pursuers believe they are tracking Shen, but he has been monitoring them from the start.
• Hidden power and control: Shen’s preparation and Little Doudou’s extraordinary abilities make the apparent accident seem less like chance.
• Perception versus reality: Witnesses interpret the crash as a possible suicide, while the vanished occupants make the truth impossible to establish.
• Consequences and public accountability: The crew’s fate becomes a major police and diplomatic concern, regardless of how the crash occurred.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing returns to his study, where Little Doudou reports that Lu Xian has eliminated evidence from the mercenaries’ car. Lu Xian confirms he destroyed its electronics and made the breakdown appear accidental.
• Shen Bing and Little Doudou go to the Underground Base’s Western District, where Liu Zhenggang is imprisoned. Shen has repurposed part of the area to hold people for possible future experiments.
• Lu Xian, disguised as a tiny cauldron, releases six captured foreign mercenaries. Little Doudou wakes them.
• The mercenaries recover, notice Little Doudou, and then recognize Shen Bing. Shen tries to question them about why they followed him, but they respond with threats and overconfidence.
• The group draws concealed ceramic pistols, only to discover Shen has disabled them. They prepare to fight anyway, and Shen orders Little Doudou to teach them a lesson.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is calm and confident, showing little sympathy for Liu Zhenggang and no hesitation about using harsh measures against people he considers guilty. He intends to question the mercenaries but quickly loses patience with their bravado.
• Little Doudou is proud of its role in capturing the group and remains close to Shen, eager to prove its usefulness.
• Lu Xian is efficient and loyal, handling the capture, concealment, and destruction of evidence.
• Liu Zhenggang appears mentally broken and passive in captivity.
• The mercenaries, including leader Jack and the wary Kamm, mistake their remaining weapons and combat training for an advantage, underestimating Shen and Little Doudou.

Significant themes

• Power and misjudgment: The mercenaries assume they control the situation, while Shen has already neutralized their weapons and holds the real advantage.
• Justice and vengeance: Shen distinguishes between innocent people and those who provoke or commit serious wrongs, though his plans for captives raise ethical questions.
• Loyalty and teamwork: Little Doudou and Lu Xian work seamlessly with Shen to secure the captives and cover their tracks.

Character interactions

• Shen banters warmly with Little Doudou and trusts both it and Lu Xian to carry out their tasks.
• He passes Liu Zhenggang’s cell without sympathy, regarding his condition as deserved.
• Shen attempts to draw information from the mercenaries, but Jack and the others answer with insults, threats, and displays of confidence.
• When their guns fail and they continue to posture, Shen ends the exchange by directing Little Doudou to deal with them.

Plot points and events

• Little Doudou effortlessly defeats the mercenary squad. It snaps Kamm’s dagger and sends him flying, knocks down Jack, then dispatches the remaining four in a few swift moves.
• Shen Bing has Lu Xian and Little Doudou restrain the squad and orders them to test a stripped-down Consciousness Transmission Device to extract information. The captives refuse to cooperate.
• Shen Bing learns the attackers belong to God’s Armament, a top mercenary organization, and asks why they were following him and trying to kidnap him. The reason and the person who hired them remain unknown.
• At the Central Control Center, Shen Bing asks Qiuqiu about another group in South Vietnam. They are still in place; Qiuqiu has hacked their equipment and identified two as God’s Armament logistics personnel.
• Concluding that he needs stronger protection and an offensive force, Shen Bing enters the Immortal Realm Gate and retrieves Stun Gun Production Technology. He begins studying its advanced design.

Character developments

• Shen Bing shifts from relying mainly on defensive safeguards to actively planning a covert security force. The kidnapping attempt makes him recognize that his existing protections are insufficient.
• Little Doudou demonstrates extraordinary strength and combat skill, reinforcing its role as both an unusually capable companion and a formidable protector.
• The mercenaries, especially Thorne and Jack, remain defiant despite their defeat and imagine themselves as heroes who must expose Shen Bing’s research and “save the world.”
• Qiuqiu shows her usefulness in surveillance and cyber operations, tracking the South Vietnam team and identifying its members.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Even Shen Bing’s technological achievements cannot prevent others from targeting him, prompting him to seek more active defenses.
• Misjudgment and perspective: The mercenaries interpret Shen Bing as a dangerous villain, while he sees himself as the victim of an attempted kidnapping.
• Technology as a double-edged force: Shen Bing’s biological and technical breakthroughs inspire fear as well as offer protection.
• Escalation and hidden threats: Capturing one squad does not resolve the danger; uncovering the unseen mastermind becomes the real priority.

Character interactions

• Little Doudou’s swift violence silences the squad and establishes a stark contrast between its tiny appearance and immense ability.
• Shen Bing taunts the defeated mercenaries, questions them, then delegates interrogation to Lu Xian and Little Doudou.
• Shen Bing consults Qiuqiu about the South Vietnam operation, using her intelligence to decide how to respond.
• Shen Bing’s trust in Lu Xian and Little Doudou is tempered by practical limits: he cannot rely on them as constant bodyguards, which drives his plan to develop new weapons.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing studies the stun gun’s design. It uses advanced wireless power transmission, a field-strength tunnel to direct electromagnetic waves, and contactless conversion to electrocute a target. It is exceptionally fast, accurate, adjustable, and can penetrate some nonmetallic barriers.
• Concerned that the weapon could be used against him, Shen Bing decides not to release it. He also holds back wireless power transmission technology, judging that its impact on the power industry—and on workers displaced by the geothermal power station—would be too disruptive for now. The super battery proves more limited than expected: it is a high-voltage lithium battery suited to the stun gun, not ordinary electronics or vehicles.
• Shen Bing plans to have Qiuqiu organize the stun gun technology for future research. He prepares Basic Spiritual Wisdom Potion and Animal Enhancement Serum, gives both to Little Doudou, and arranges travel to South Vietnam for Li Xiao and Lu Xian. Lu Xian is to follow Li Xiao while hidden and await further instructions from Qiuqiu.
• In the Western District, Lu Xian has finished extracting information from one of the captured Americans. The man, formerly of Delta Force, had only pretended to retire and was working for the mercenary group God’s Armament on behalf of a U.S. intelligence agency. Shen Bing orders the captives held separately and tells Lu Xian to stop processing the others for now.
• News spreads that the Americans’ van plunged into the Jin River. The public explanation blames a steering-system failure and the driver’s actions, though online speculation casts the passengers as spies. Huaxia announces continued search efforts and stresses that visitors must obey local laws. The United States thanks Huaxia but says it will send its own rescue team, prompting suspicion among Chinese netizens that the mission is really investigative.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows caution and restraint: despite recognizing the enormous commercial potential of wireless power transmission, he prioritizes social disruption and keeps the technology secret. He is also confirmed in his suspicions about the Americans after Lu Xian’s findings.
• Lu Xian demonstrates his physical strength and his ability to extract detailed memories, but notes that processing the captives is slow. Shen Bing redirects him from interrogation to the South Vietnam assignment.
• The captured American has lost his earlier confidence after seeing how completely his private memories were exposed. His account reveals his covert ties to U.S. intelligence.
• Little Doudou receives the two potions and immediately disappears with them; Shen Bing reacts with familiar resignation.
• Li Xiao is assigned to travel to South Vietnam with Lu Xian, whose small size and concealment are central to the plan.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Shen Bing weighs technological profit against its potential to disrupt livelihoods and society.
• Privacy and control: Lu Xian’s access to a captive’s memories exposes the frightening reach of Shen Bing’s technology.
• Secrecy and espionage: The Americans’ covert mission and the competing official narratives make the river accident part of a wider intelligence conflict.
• Public perception versus evidence: Online speculation quickly outpaces confirmed facts, while governments use carefully phrased statements to signal their positions.

Key plot points and events

• The six foreigners’ van is recovered from the river, but its electronics are ruined. Investigators find evidence that all six escaped through broken windows while still able to move; none of their bags or backpacks remain.
• Traffic police chief Zhou Changlin suspects the crash may have been deliberate. Surveillance shows the foreigners had followed Shen Bing’s vehicle for roughly two hours, raising the possibility that they were targeting him.
• Shen Bing, unaware of the investigation’s suspicions, continues with his plans. Li Xiao leaves for South Vietnam carrying a tiny tracking device attached to his clothing.
• Shen returns to his underground laboratory to prepare a biological invisibility agent. He precisely synthesizes its 47 ingredients, despite a phone call briefly interrupting the process.
• Gao Jingchuan calls with two updates: national-level experts will inspect Shen’s room-temperature superconducting material the next afternoon, and the escaped foreigners may have been pursuing him. Shen agrees to the inspection but is surprised by the warning.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Changlin proves observant and methodical. He connects the foreigners’ route to Shen’s vehicle and reports his concern to Gao Jingchuan, though he has no proof of Shen’s involvement.
• Shen Bing remains focused on his research and largely unconcerned about the police investigation. His confidence and impatience show in his terse, teasing exchanges with Gao.
• Gao Jingchuan balances official business with an increasingly familiar rapport with Shen. He first arranges the expert visit, then calls back to warn him about the suspected pursuit.
• Li Xiao departs on assignment, unknowingly monitored by Shen’s tracking device.

Significant themes

• Suspicion and uncertainty: The foreigners’ unexplained escape and missing belongings turn an apparent accident into a possible national-security matter.
• Secrecy and surveillance: Shen operates beyond the police’s understanding, while both he and the authorities monitor people and events.
• Scientific precision and power: Shen’s extraordinary laboratory capabilities contrast with ordinary expertise and foreshadow the potential consequences of his research.

Plot points

• While Shen Bing is conducting a late-night experiment, Gao Jingchuan calls to warn him about potential danger from people who are still secretly imprisoned in Shen Bing’s Underground Base. Shen Bing declines the offer of special-forces bodyguards, then rushes back to his experiment before a timed step is missed.
• Shen Bing produces an Azure Potion but is wary of testing it on himself. He decides to first check that it is safe through animal testing before giving it to human subjects.
• The next morning, Shen Bing learns that Yuan Wei studied neuroscience and behavior, had earned a recommendation for graduate study, and once assisted with university research. She gave up that path because of her difficult family circumstances.
• Shen Bing offers her a position at his company’s Research Center, which is planning to expand into neuroscience. Yuan Wei initially hesitates because she fears losing her closeness to him, but accepts after he promises she can still help at home and receive two salaries.
• Shen Bing arrives at work and learns the company’s annual gathering is ready. Since headquarters cannot accommodate the thousands attending, the event is held at Sichuan University’s gymnasium. Employees from both headquarters and the factories gather there.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is shown as both a driven researcher and a considerate employer. He is protective about security but keeps his hidden prisoners secret from Gao Jingchuan. He also recognizes that Yuan Wei’s domestic work may be wasting her abilities and tries to give her a chance to resume her field.
• Gao Jingchuan is concerned for Shen Bing and curious about his research, especially given Shen Bing’s record of groundbreaking inventions. Shen Bing jokes with him but abruptly ends the call when the experiment’s timing becomes urgent.
• Yuan Wei reveals her academic talent and the sacrifices she made for her mother. Though she is grateful and content in her current life, she has complicated feelings about returning to research: she wants the opportunity but fears becoming more distant from Shen Bing. Their conversation deepens their mutual trust and affection.
• Shen Bing and Yuan Wei share a warm breakfast after their agreement, while Shen Bing begins preparing her transition by having Qiuqiu send her advanced neuroscience materials.

Significant themes

• Scientific ambition and caution: Shen Bing’s excitement about innovation is balanced by his decision to test the potion for toxicity before trying it on people.
• Talent, opportunity, and sacrifice: Yuan Wei’s abandoned academic career highlights how family hardship can derail ability, while Shen Bing’s offer gives her a chance to reclaim it.
• Affection and obligation: Yuan Wei’s gratitude and attachment complicate her choices; Shen Bing tries to ensure she does not sacrifice her future out of indebtedness or fear of losing closeness.
• Corporate inclusion and scale: Shen Bing insists that factory workers be included in the annual gathering, emphasizing that all employees belong to the company.

Key events

• Phantom Immortal Technology holds its annual gathering, bringing together nearly all employees. A video traces the company’s explosive growth from a small workshop to a vast industrial enterprise, and reveals founder Shen Bing to many employees—including former university classmates who recognize him.
• Wang Sheng reports the company’s performance, followed by departmental summaries. Shen then announces 300 million yuan in year-end bonuses and outlines ambitious plans to expand across high-tech industries and become a world leader.
• The gathering ends on a high note. Many employees volunteer to work through the Spring Festival for quadruple pay, while bonus posts online boost the company’s reputation as a generous employer.
• Afterward, Wang offers to oversee the company during the holiday. Shen says he will stay away from the office, but plans to focus on new technologies and getting a particle accelerator built.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is shown as both a celebrated, low-profile founder and a relentless innovator. Employees trust his bold vision because his past breakthroughs have repeatedly proved his ability.
• Wang Sheng comes across as a concise, capable executive and dependable colleague; he hosts the gathering, gives the performance report, and offers to keep the company running over the holiday.
• Shen’s former university classmates are astonished to learn that the man they knew is the company’s powerful founder. Their surprise is mixed with admiration, not jealousy.
• Employees respond to Shen’s bonus announcement with amazement and to his plans with attention and confidence. Their pride in the company is reinforced by the gathering and its rewards.

Significant themes

• Shared success and loyalty: The company’s growth is presented as the result of collective work, rewarded with substantial bonuses.
• Ambition and diversification: Shen intends to take the company into a wide range of high-tech fields, earning it a reputation as an unusually successful “shit-stirrer”—a company willing to disrupt industries beyond any single core business.
• Leadership and trust: Shen’s track record makes employees willing to believe in goals that might sound unrealistic from another leader.
• Work and personal sacrifice: Even during the holiday, employees and Shen himself are prepared to keep working toward the company’s growth.

Plot points

• Shen Bing directs Wang Sheng to keep Dream Glass production running and quickly double output to fulfill Disney’s orders. Wang Sheng jokes about Shen’s reputation as a demanding boss; his compensation is tied to the factory’s profits, making him exceptionally well paid.
• Gao Jingchuan arrives with four senior experts to verify Phantom Immortal Technology’s claim that it has developed a room-temperature superconductor.
• Shen Bing proposes a simple resistance test and produces a thin, ten-meter coil of the material. When the experts lack a multimeter, he has one brought from the company.
• Elder Zhao measures the wire, and the multimeter shows no resistance. The experts are stunned. Shen Bing gives them the sample to take back for further testing.
• Elder Zhao supports Shen’s decision not to host them, while hinting that his research team may want to purchase the material in bulk if it meets their requirements.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is shown as confident, practical, and unimpressed by ceremony. Rather than argue with skeptical experts, he lets the test prove his claim. He is generous with the sample but prioritizes his company’s work over cultivating influential connections.
• Wang Sheng appears loyal and motivated by the profit-linked salary Shen arranged for him.
• Gao Jingchuan jokes with Shen and urges him to treat the visiting experts with more ceremony, but is repeatedly surprised by Shen’s casual approach.
• Elder Zhao begins skeptical and incredulous, then becomes excited when the test succeeds. He is courteous but shrewd, helping Shen deflect Gao’s invitation while pressing for favorable access to future supplies.
• The experts’ professional pride clashes with the undemanding setup: they resent being asked to use a multimeter, yet the straightforward test quickly convinces them.

Significant themes

• Proof over persuasion: Shen relies on an observable result instead of grand claims or lengthy explanations.
• Scientific breakthroughs and disbelief: The experts’ astonishment underscores how extraordinary room-temperature superconductivity would be.
• Business pragmatism: Shen balances production demands, research interest, and relationships without letting ceremony distract him.
• Power and status: Shen’s casual confidence contrasts with the experts’ prestige, while Elder Zhao’s bargaining hints at the high stakes surrounding the material.

Plot points and events

• An American FEMA-led rescue team arrives in Rongcheng after the Eight-Eyed Bridge crash. Zhou Changlin, a former soldier, suspects many of the visitors are hardened operatives rather than rescue professionals, so he keeps a close watch on them.
• Shen Bing buys a bullfrog to test his Biological Invisibility Potion. After the frog drinks it, it instantly vanishes. His atomic-level vision cannot help because the animal is now completely invisible; he can only feel it by touch. Unable to study the transformation, Shen considers analyzing the potion’s mysterious ingredients instead.
• Qiuqiu interrupts Shen’s research to report that Lu Xian has returned from South Vietnam. Acting on Shen’s instructions, Lu captured the targets there, while Qiuqiu impersonated Shen and arranged for Li Xiao to retrieve the Cauldron Furnace. Shen confirms the operation went as planned.
• In the United States, Herman tells Harry that, in addition to Thorne and his team in Rongcheng, five men stationed in South Vietnam have disappeared. Both groups vanished without leaving their guarded locations, leading Herman to suspect their operation has been exposed.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Changlin becomes wary of the American delegation and quietly takes precautions, though he has no proof of their real purpose.
• Shen Bing is intrigued by the potion’s unexplained workings. His failed experiment frustrates him but also suggests that understanding the potion could lead to bionic invisibility and advances in other formulas.
• Qiuqiu and Lu Xian carry out Shen’s plan efficiently, capturing the South Vietnam targets and recovering the transformed Cauldron Furnace.
• Herman and Harry disagree over what the disappearances mean. Harry initially dismisses the possibility that Thorne’s group was in danger, but the simultaneous disappearance of eleven people unsettles him. Neither can explain how the two locations might be connected.

Significant themes

• The limits of knowledge: Shen can identify the potion’s ingredients but does not understand how they produce such extraordinary effects.
• Secrecy and suspicion: Zhou doubts the rescue team’s stated purpose, while Herman and Harry fear their hidden operation has been compromised.
• Unseen power and control: The vanished prisoners, invisible bullfrog, and Qiuqiu’s impersonation show how events are being shaped beyond the characters’ immediate awareness.

Key plot points and events

• CIA deputy director Herman and Thor Company representative Harry argue over the failed attempt to abduct Shen Bing and steal Phantom Immortal Technology’s superconducting-material research. The CIA’s original Plan A was to kidnap Shen; if that failed, Plan B was to steal material samples or technical documents.
• The operation used Thorne’s squad, who had been embedded in the mercenary group God’s Armament. After Thorne and his men vanished in Rongcheng—and the South Vietnam support team disappeared too—Herman urges a pause while the CIA investigates. Harry rejects the delay, insisting the technology is vital to U.S. interests and threatening to find someone else to lead the effort.
• At his underground base, Shen Bing worries about feeding the twelve dangerous captives he is holding. He has Lu Xian modify the Western District so the prisoners can prepare meals, and installs surveillance controlled by Qiuqiu. He also plans to add remotely controlled stun guns for security.
• Shen resumes studying the Invisibility Potion, discovering that its effects last about an hour. Dissatisfied, he continues his research in hopes of developing something more lasting.
• The next morning, Lu Xian finishes the prison modifications. Shen assigns him to build a particle accelerator, then heads to the factory to oversee production-line construction for the Golden Pangolin.
• Seeing a sapling in the factory courtyard gives Shen a new hypothesis: the Invisibility Potion and Basic Spiritual Wisdom Potion may contain a special energy akin to “spiritual qi.” He recognizes that identifying this energy will be difficult, but now has a direction for his research.

Character developments and interactions

• Herman is cautious and increasingly frustrated: he understands the risks of continuing the operation and tries to delay it, but remains caught between CIA responsibility and Thor Company’s demands.
• Harry is forceful and impatient, treating acquisition of the technology as both a corporate priority and a national-security imperative.
• Shen Bing is practical and ambitious. He improves security and logistics for his captives, pursues his potion research despite setbacks, and prioritizes the Golden Pangolin project because of its importance to the company’s electricity-sector plans.
• Lu Xian demonstrates his tireless efficiency by completing the Western District renovations quickly and is entrusted with the major task of constructing a particle accelerator.
• The chapter highlights the strained interaction between Herman and Harry, contrasting Herman’s caution with Harry’s pressure. Shen’s interactions with Lu Xian are based on trust in the assistant’s speed and capabilities.

Significant themes

• Espionage and technological competition: The CIA and Thor Company view Shen’s inventions as strategic assets worth stealing, illustrating the lengths powerful institutions will go to acquire them.
• Risk versus ambition: Herman urges restraint, while Harry pushes ahead; Shen likewise balances difficult research against immediate business priorities.
• Scientific curiosity and discovery: Shen’s observation of the sapling sparks a new theory about spiritual qi, showing how unexpected clues can redirect research.
• Control and security: Shen’s automated surveillance and planned stun guns reflect his effort to manage a growing, dangerous prisoner population.

Plot points

• During the Spring Festival, Shen Bing visits Phantom Immortal Technology’s expanding industrial park, checks on the machinery factory, and directs staff to begin producing conventional components for new equipment. Lu Xian will build the core components.
• He thanks the workers staying on duty, visits the glass and optoelectronics factories, and shares lunch with employees.
• On the drive back, Li Xiao reports that Brother Wolf has recruited thirteen former special-forces soldiers who became mercenaries overseas. Shen Bing tells him to look into buying a villa to house them.
• While waiting at the office, Shen Bing enters the Gate to the Immortal Realm. His planted peach has not sprouted, so he checks the quest list and accepts a quest to deliver the Bull Demon King’s New Year gift to Guanyin. He hopes the encounter will also help him advance Great Sage Sun’s quest chain.
• Shen Bing appears in a remote wilderness and is nearly swept away by the Bull Demon King’s immense form and a gust of wind. The Bull Demon King reels him back with a rope, then shrinks to a manageable size and takes human form.
• After Shen Bing reveals he knows about the gift, the Bull Demon King jokingly mocks his tiny stature. Shen Bing pretends to abandon the task and walks away, hoping the threat will persuade the Bull Demon King to cooperate.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing balances hands-on leadership at his company with plans to build up security. In the Immortal Realm, his confidence is undercut by the scale and power of its inhabitants, but he uses quick thinking and bluffing to pursue his quest.
• Wang Dong assures Shen Bing that fifty experienced guards are protecting the machinery factory.
• Li Xiao relays the mercenaries’ arrival; Shen Bing responds by planning suitable housing.
• The Bull Demon King is powerful, boastful, and teasing, but also appears embarrassed about his plan to give Guanyin a gift. He dismisses Shen Bing at first, prompting Shen Bing to use the quest itself as leverage.

Significant themes

• The Immortal Realm’s danger and scale: Shen Bing’s small avatar is vulnerable even to the Bull Demon King’s breath.
• Ambition and strategic planning: Shen Bing develops both industrial capacity and security while pursuing long-term in-game rewards.
• Humor and pride: The contrast between Shen Bing’s self-image and his helplessness creates comic tension, especially in his exchanges with the Bull Demon King.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing asks the Bull Demon King whether he could enlist Sun Wukong’s help. The Bull Demon King angrily rejects the idea, blaming Wukong for Guanyin taking his son, Red Boy.
• Shen Bing tries to persuade him that Red Boy’s new position as Guanyin’s attendant is a positive outcome, but the Bull Demon King remains unconvinced. They agree instead that Shen Bing will deliver a gift to Guanyin.
• The Bull Demon King gives Shen Bing a translucent, golden-glowing object filled with Buddhist vow power. Though he does not know what it is, he believes Guanyin will accept it. Shen Bing transfers it into his inventory and uses the resulting teleportation prompt to reach the Purple Bamboo Grove.
• Shen Bing arrives in Guanyin’s sacred grounds beside the Black Bear Monster, who initially treats him as an intruder. Shen Bing identifies the bear as Guanyin’s “Mountain-Guarding Deity,” flattering him into leading the way.
• The Black Bear Monster guides Shen Bing through the grove, which is revealed to be a powerful Immortal Array. Shen Bing discovers that his special viewing angle lets him see the route through it and recognize the correct path.
• They reach a lotus pond, where Shen Bing meets Bodhisattva Guanyin. She dismisses the Black Bear Monster and questions Shen Bing’s identity and origin.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains weak but resourceful. He avoids provoking the Bull Demon King, resists the temptation to keep the treasure, and uses confidence and flattery to handle the Black Bear Monster. He also discovers a potentially valuable ability to see through arrays.
• The Bull Demon King reveals both his resentment toward Sun Wukong and his determination to recover or help his son. His choice of a Buddhist relic as a gift shows strategic cunning beneath his rough manner.
• The Black Bear Monster shifts quickly from suspicion to friendliness when Shen Bing appears powerful and respectfully recognizes his title. He boasts about his status, then feels embarrassed after realizing he brought a stranger directly to Guanyin.
• Guanyin cannot identify Shen Bing through her usual means and is wary of his unexplained presence. Shen Bing claims to be the Mist-Ethereal Adept from Illusory Void Island and says he is carrying out someone else’s request.

Significant themes

• Appearances and status: Shen Bing’s confident performance and flattering title win him cooperation despite his actual weakness.
• Cunning over strength: Both Shen Bing and the Bull Demon King rely on tactics—bluffing, careful negotiation, and choosing the right gift—rather than force.
• Uncertainty and hidden power: Shen Bing’s origin resists Guanyin’s divination, while his viewing ability may let him overcome otherwise formidable arrays.
• Duty and attachment: The Bull Demon King’s anger reflects his distress over Red Boy, even as Shen Bing points out that Red Boy’s new role may benefit him.