Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology’s open call for Dream Glass investment proposals leaves companies worldwide uncertain about their chances. Nancy Group chairman Fang Yuanming decides to keep submitting proposals rather than ask Shen Bing for special treatment, reasoning that his company already benefits substantially from their partnership.
• Shen Bing receives a rugged, encrypted satellite phone from Secretary Chen, who says it can summon help anywhere on Earth. Chen also offers to request up to roughly $100–200 million in funding; Shen asks him to apply for $100 million, and Chen agrees to arrange it.
• Shen Bing experiments on the two sparrows living in his Spirit Water–nourished Immortal Peach Tree, giving each a dose of Intelligence Potion. They appear more alert afterward, and he plans to give them Animal Enhancement Serum the next day.
• At the Underground Base, Qiuqiu reports that few Dream Glass proposals have arrived and none are suitable. She also tells Shen that Royard has made a breakthrough in developing stealth material and is investigating its atomic structure.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Yuanming shows both ambition and restraint: he wants additional projects but refuses to exploit his relationship with Shen Bing for preferential treatment. He directs his company to compete by improving its proposals.
• Shen Bing remains bold and curious. He accepts the government’s security phone and funding offer, then enthusiastically tests the Intelligence Potion on the sparrows, imagining they might develop unusual abilities.
• Secretary Chen presents himself as a calm official, but his security arrangements and access to major funding suggest he has influence beyond ordinary diplomatic work. He warns Shen not to misuse the emergency phone.
• Qiuqiu continues serving as Shen Bing’s playful, capable assistant, reporting on company submissions and research progress.
• Shen’s affectionate, familiar treatment of the sparrows contrasts with his reckless experimentation on them.

Significant themes

• Competition and fairness: Companies must win Dream Glass projects through strong proposals rather than relying on connections.
• Power and state support: Shen Bing’s importance is reflected in the extraordinary security and financial resources offered to him.
• Scientific ambition and uncertain consequences: Shen’s experiments hint at new possibilities, while raising the question of how far his curiosity may go.
• Progress through research: Royard’s stealth-material breakthrough underscores the rapid advances underway at Phantom Immortal Technology.

Plot points

• Shen Bing confirms that Royard’s rapid breakthrough in stealth materials is plausible, then checks on Lu Xian’s work at the high-energy physics facility. The team has produced nearly half a ton of nobelium gold—enough for about seven tons of adamantium alloy.
• Shen Bing reflects on the geopolitical consequences of Phantom Immortal Technology’s advances. He worries that Huaxia’s growing strength could provoke serious confrontation with the United States and decides that long-term preparations for that possibility must begin now.
• Construction is underway to connect the five villas on Dragon Lake Ring Island with bridges and coordinated landscaping.
• Shen Bing runs into Liu Jin, who reminds him that Shen promised to find him a martial-arts master. Liu Jin also invites him to a luxury-car auto show in Rongcheng; Shen agrees, partly out of curiosity about the automobile market.
• At home, Shen Bing learns that his mother also wants him to attend the show. His father explains that she is going for work: the Investment Promotion Bureau hopes to attract a high-end automobile manufacturer, and company executives will be present.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shifts from focusing mainly on technical progress to thinking strategically about the political risks of his company’s success. He remains busy and ambitious, but his interest in the auto show also hints at Phantom Immortal Technology’s possible future entry into the car industry.
• Liu Jin is portrayed as persistent and teasing. He challenges Shen Bing’s excuse that he is too busy, reveals that he owns a gym, and presses him about the promised master.
• Shen Bing’s parents bring family comedy into the chapter. His mother recruits him for the auto show, while his father clarifies its business purpose. Shen Bing’s careless joke about his parents’ interest in the attendees earns him a smack from his mother.

Significant themes

• Technological progress and geopolitical risk: Innovation can bring wealth and national strength, but it may also threaten existing power structures and invite conflict.
• Preparation and responsibility: Shen Bing feels that he must plan ahead rather than treat international tensions as someone else’s problem.
• Personal ambition and future industry: His interest in the auto show reflects both curiosity about luxury-car technology and a broader eye toward business opportunities.
• Humor and family life: Banter with Liu Jin and Shen Bing’s parents offsets the chapter’s serious reflections on global power.

Chapter summary

• Shen Bing realizes that his parents’ plans to attract an automaker to Rongcheng probably concern new-energy vehicles. He has already decided that Phantom Immortal Technology will enter the industry, focusing on the battery and motor technologies he believes are crucial to making competitive electric cars.
• His mother is going to informally approach representatives from Tesla, BMW, and other manufacturers at the auto show. She was recently promoted to deputy director of the Investment Promotion Bureau, partly thanks to an achievement Shen Bing gave her. He worries that her effort to recruit an automaker could conflict with his own plans to compete in the same market, but decides to see how things develop.
• Yun Xue joins the family’s trip because she wants to inspect a concept sedan with voice and gesture controls, which relates to her research. Shen Bing’s parents conveniently leave the two of them together.
• On the drive, Yun Xue mentions a planned high-school reunion organized by Wu Xiaoyun, a former classmate. Shen Bing is hesitant, but says he will contact his close friend Hou—nicknamed Monkey—and may go if Monkey does.
• At the auto show, Shen Bing and Yun Xue enter the Volkswagen hall. Yun Xue reacts jealously when Shen Bing compliments the promotional models, so he quickly tries to reassure her by praising her looks and character.
• Just then, someone recognizes Yun Xue and calls out to her, setting up a new encounter.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is ambitious about entering electric-vehicle manufacturing but also mindful of the government’s role and his family’s public position. He and Yun Xue share relaxed teasing and old school memories; his clumsy attempt to recover from making her jealous hints at growing affection.
• Yun Xue is enthusiastic about technology relevant to her research, and her agreement to attend the show—and possibly the reunion—shows her closeness to Shen Bing. Her jealous reaction adds a playful, personal edge to their relationship.
• Shen Bing’s mother is advancing quickly in her government career and is tasked with attracting high-tech companies. Her discreet matchmaking leaves Shen Bing and Yun Xue together.
• Shen Bing’s father teases him about his mother’s promotion and accompanies her to the show.
• Shen Bing and Monkey are described as the sort of friends who rarely keep in touch but can rely on one another when needed.

Significant themes

• The shift toward electric vehicles: New-energy cars are presented as both an environmental priority and a major industrial opportunity.
• Competition and political interests: Shen Bing’s private business ambitions overlap with his mother’s public mission to attract an automaker, creating potential tension.
• Family and personal connections: Shen Bing’s success affects his mother’s career, while his parents’ subtle encouragement brings him closer to Yun Xue.
• Friendship and romance: The chapter contrasts enduring, low-maintenance friendship with the awkward, teasing intimacy developing between Shen Bing and Yun Xue.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing and Yun Xue run into their former high-school classmate Wu Xiaoyun at the auto show. Wu has returned from the United States and now works with the Association for Computing Machinery’s human-computer interaction group, studying Tesla’s special driving system.
• Wu assumes Shen Bing and Yun Xue are a couple, teasing them about their apparent relationship. She tactfully leaves them alone, mentioning that she has two companions and will meet Yun Xue later.
• Yun Xue suspects Shen Bing wants to attend their upcoming high-school reunion to get closer to Wu. He denies it, then impulsively says he prefers innocent girls like Yun Xue. When she reacts hopefully, he abruptly changes the subject and leads her onward.
• Shen Bing reflects on their long, ambiguous history. He recognizes that Yun Xue likely has feelings for him, but is unsure whether he sees her as a friend or a romantic partner. Their walk through the show is distracted by the tension between them.
• In the Ferrari hall, they encounter Liu Jin, who asks whether Yun Xue is Shen Bing’s wife. Yun Xue quietly enjoys the label, even as she tries to free her hand. Liu points out a LaFerrari, a limited-edition supercar he likes.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing becomes more aware of Yun Xue’s feelings—and his own uncertainty. His teasing reassurance and decision to keep holding her hand suggest growing intimacy, though he remains hesitant.
• Yun Xue is embarrassed by romantic teasing but pleased when Liu calls her Shen Bing’s wife. Her jealousy about Wu and her reaction to Shen Bing’s preference for “innocent girls” reveal her hopes.
• Wu Xiaoyun appears confident, sociable, and perceptive. She notices Yun Xue wants time alone with Shen Bing and politely withdraws.
• Liu Jin greets Shen Bing and admires Yun Xue, unintentionally giving her a moment of happiness by calling her Shen Bing’s wife.

Significant themes

• The chapter explores the uncertain boundary between longtime friendship and romance, especially the awkwardness of turning familiar closeness into a relationship.
• It also highlights missed chances, jealousy, and emotional hesitation: Shen Bing understands the situation but is not yet sure what he wants.

Plot and events

• Liu Jin is negotiating to buy a LaFerrari, but Ferrari’s eligibility rules require buyers to own five other current Ferrari models first. Shen Bing mocks the requirement as arrogant.
• A sharply dressed young man insults Shen Bing for criticizing the car. Liu Jin stands up for him, trading barbs with the stranger; Yun Xue laughs at Liu Jin’s irreverent comeback.
• The stranger turns his attention to Yun Xue, but she ignores him and stays focused on Shen Bing. Shen warns the man to leave, but he refuses and challenges him to follow through.
• Liu Jin offers to handle the confrontation. When two bodyguards appear, he is eager to fight, though Shen Bing reminds him the goal is simply to remove the nuisance.
• Wang Xu, the exhibition hall’s manager, intervenes. The stranger identifies himself as Sun Yuan, a deputy general manager of Tianyue Group, and demands an apology from Liu Jin. Wang Xu tries to smooth things over, but Liu Jin refuses and challenges him to settle matters in a ring.
• Wang Xu threatens to have security remove Liu Jin. Zhou Zhengwen then arrives and publicly backs Liu Jin, making Wang Xu realize he has misjudged the situation and that Liu Jin has powerful connections.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing stays composed and quietly confident, warning the stranger rather than escalating the dispute himself. He watches Liu Jin’s behavior with amused skepticism.
• Liu Jin is fiercely loyal to Shen Bing and increasingly combative. He uses humor to frustrate the stranger, then refuses to yield to either Sun Yuan or Wang Xu.
• Yun Xue becomes more comfortable and amused by Liu Jin, partly because he called her Shen Bing’s “sister-in-law.” She gives Sun Yuan no attention, signaling her loyalty to Shen Bing.
• Sun Yuan begins as arrogant and confrontational, then tries to present himself as reasonable once the manager arrives. His status initially influences Wang Xu.
• Wang Xu tries to preserve order while accommodating the influential Sun family, but his assumptions about Liu Jin backfire. Zhou Zhengwen’s arrival leaves him embarrassed and uneasy.
• Zhou Zhengwen steps in decisively on Liu Jin’s behalf, revealing that Liu Jin’s casual claim to run a fitness club conceals influential backing.

Significant themes

• Status and power: People’s behavior shifts according to perceived connections and family influence.
• Loyalty and solidarity: Liu Jin backs Shen Bing, and Zhou Zhengwen backs Liu Jin.
• Arrogance and social performance: Sun Yuan and Wang Xu both misjudge their opponents, while Liu Jin’s irreverence disrupts the expected social “script.”
• Appearances versus reality: Liu Jin’s modest description of his business hides his connections, setting up the chapter’s closing irony.

Key plot points and events

• At a Ferrari showroom, Liu Jin confronts deputy manager Sun Yuan, who has been behaving arrogantly. Zhou Zhengwen tries to defuse the dispute, but Sun refuses to back down.
• Liu Jin abruptly attacks Sun’s two bodyguards, then throws Sun to the floor and continues beating him when Sun insults and threatens him. Shen Bing allows the confrontation to continue, believing Sun needs to be taught a lesson.
• Shen Bing secretly has Wei Yu and Ran Xiang incapacitate the bodyguards, though Liu Jin mistakenly assumes he knocked them out himself. Security and police arrive, and Shen Bing, Liu Jin, and the others are taken to the station.
• Liu Jin’s grandfather intervenes through his connections. Sun Yuan’s grandfather reprimands him rather than defending him, and the police release everyone once Sun drops the complaint.
• Back at the Global Center, Liu Jin celebrates Sun’s humiliation. Shen Bing learns that Liu Jin had started the entire dispute over a LaFerrari he could not actually afford.

Character developments

• Liu Jin is impulsive and violent, preferring action to negotiation, but he shows some restraint by avoiding lasting injury. His confidence is bolstered by his influential family.
• Shen Bing remains composed and quietly manages events, arranging for the bodyguards to be neutralized. His calm exterior conceals anger at Sun’s behavior.
• Sun Yuan’s polished authority collapses under pressure, exposing a spoiled, entitled temperament. His family connections cannot protect him from the consequences.
• Wang Xu is caught between powerful parties and worries that the showroom incident may cost him his distributor position.
• Yun Xue shows concern for Shen Bing and accompanies him to the police station.

Significant themes

• Power and consequences: Family influence shapes how the dispute is handled, but Sun’s connections do not spare him a reprimand.
• Arrogance challenged: Sun’s status and threats prove ineffective against Liu Jin’s force and Shen Bing’s backing.
• Hidden control: Shen Bing appears passive, yet subtly influences the outcome.
• Comic recklessness: Liu Jin’s lack of planning is revealed when he admits he never had enough money to buy the car that sparked the conflict.

Character interactions

• Zhou Zhengwen attempts to mediate but yields to Liu Jin’s authority.
• Liu Jin repeatedly clashes with Sun Yuan and dismisses Wang Xu’s pleas to stop.
• Yun Xue urges Shen Bing to intervene; he reassures her without explaining his full intentions.
• Liu Jin later boasts to Shen Bing about Sun’s reprimand, only to expose his own absurd lack of preparation.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing, Yun Xue, and Liu Jin return to the Global Center’s auto show without being recognized as the people involved in the earlier disturbance.
• Liu Jin enthusiastically browses luxury cars despite having a budget of only four or five million. He explains that his wealthy father gives him limited funds because he wants Liu to join the family business, while his grandfather expects him to study medicine. Liu wants to choose his own path.
• Liu realizes that his punches could not have knocked out the bodyguards earlier. Shen Bing admits that two of his men intervened. Liu, hoping to meet the “expert,” eagerly follows Shen and Yun Xue.
• At Tesla’s exhibit, a presenter demonstrates autonomous, voice-controlled, and gesture-controlled driving. Yun Xue is unimpressed by the technology, and Shen suggests they leave to find his mother.
• News reports about the earlier Ferrari-hall incident spread online. Once the articles identify Shen as Phantom Immortal Technology’s chairman, the story grows into a public dispute between supporters of Shen’s company and Ferrari.
• Ferrari issues a statement defending its LaFerrari sales practices, accusing Shen of damaging its image, demanding an apology, and reserving the right to take legal action. The demand provokes strong backlash in Huaxia, while foreign reactions are more divided.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is exasperated by Liu Jin’s extravagant tastes and naïveté, but remains casual about revealing his men’s involvement. He also lightly teases Yun Xue over her judgment of Tesla’s technology.
• Liu Jin shows both independence and privilege: he resists his family’s plans for his future yet has access to substantial money. His late realization about the earlier fight leads him to seek an introduction to Shen’s associate.
• Yun Xue is practical about car prices but technically discerning; she evaluates Tesla’s demonstrations rather than being impressed by its reputation.
• The trio’s dynamic is playful and familiar, with Shen trying unsuccessfully to distance himself from Liu’s overly familiar “Brother Shen” address.

Significant themes

• Personal independence versus family expectations: Liu wants to direct his own life despite pressure from his father and grandfather.
• Technology and safety: Tesla’s driver-assistance systems are presented as promising, but the chapter also raises questions about whether new features truly improve safety.
• Public image and online influence: Shen’s status turns a small dispute into a major controversy, showing how quickly social media can shape corporate reputations.
• Consumer power and corporate privilege: The argument over Ferrari’s limited-car sales practices pits consumer criticism against a company’s defense of its market rules.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing discovers that photos and surveillance footage of the Ferrari showroom fight have vanished. Qiuqiu deleted them to keep images of Liu Jin beating someone from spreading, though the missing evidence inadvertently helps Shen.
• A story about the incident is being aggressively promoted online. Shen Bing suspects someone is orchestrating it, considers Ferrari a possibility, and asks Qiuqiu to investigate.
• Yun Xue explains the showroom confrontation to Shen Bing’s mother. His mother scolds him for escalating the conflict and reminds Liu Jin that violence is wrong.
• The family discusses Shen Bing’s plans for Phantom Immortal Technology to enter the automotive industry. Shen Bing says the company’s identity will be built on trust and unmatched technology, not on one product category.
• His mother offers to report his plans to city officials and help secure incentives. Shen Bing asks her instead to suggest delaying efforts to attract other automakers, joking that his company may eventually put them out of business.
• After Shen Bing’s parents leave, Liu Jin admits he acted polite to avoid making a bad impression. He asks to meet his martial-arts master; Shen Bing arranges for the master to find him the next day. Liu Jin leaves Shen Bing and Yun Xue alone, and they begin to speak at the same time.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident and decisive, trusting Qiuqiu to investigate the online campaign and openly ambitious about expanding his company. His mother’s reprimand shows that, despite his status, he is still accountable to his family.
• Liu Jin is revealed as a shamelessly self-aware troublemaker who can play polite when it suits him. His easy rapport with Shen Bing and deference to Shen Bing’s mother provide comic relief.
• Shen Bing’s mother balances concern for her son’s conduct with pride in his ambitions, while also supporting the city’s potential economic development.
• Shen Bing’s father cautions against spreading the company across too many industries, but ultimately accepts his son’s vision.
• Yun Xue supports Shen Bing during the explanation and is impressed by his confidence; the chapter ends with the two sharing an awkward, unresolved moment.

Significant themes

• Reputation and information control: Missing photos and footage shape how the public can interpret the fight, while online promotion can turn a local incident into a major controversy.
• Ambition and trust: Shen Bing imagines Phantom Immortal Technology as a broad technology brand defined by reliability and extraordinary innovation.
• Power and responsibility: Wealth and influence can shape public narratives and business decisions, but Shen Bing’s mother stresses that power does not make violence acceptable.
• Family support and generational respect: Shen Bing’s parents challenge and support him in different ways, while Liu Jin’s “Auntie” moment turns respect into a running joke about family roles.

Plot points and events

• Yun Xue and Shen Bing acknowledge their mutual feelings, though they do not discuss them openly. Yun Xue is happy but feels guilty because she suspects Yuan Wei also cares for Shen Bing.
• They return home rather than eat out, and Yun Xue is especially mindful of not making Yuan Wei feel excluded. Shen Bing, confused by her choices, later suggests hiring another nanny at dinner—unwittingly implying Yuan Wei might need to leave.
• Yun Xue explains by text that Yuan Wei moved in as Shen Bing’s nanny, so replacing her could make her feel unwanted. Shen Bing understands but remains unsure whether Yuan Wei’s devotion comes from gratitude or deeper feelings, and cannot bring himself to ask her to leave.
• In the laboratory, Shen Bing asks Qiuqiu about the day’s behind-the-scenes interference. Qiuqiu traces the manipulator to a specific location in France but cannot identify the person. Shen Bing orders citywide communications monitoring and laments his shortage of personnel and computing power.
• Qiuqiu says a mature quantum computer could greatly expand its surveillance capacity. Shen Bing considers the technology far beyond his current resources, then asks for an update on Thorne and his team’s mission concerning Sanling Heavy Industries.

Character developments and interactions

• Yun Xue is newly happy in her relationship with Shen Bing, but her friendship with Yuan Wei makes her cautious and guilty. She protects Yuan Wei’s place in the household and gently corrects Shen Bing’s tactless suggestion.
• Shen Bing is affectionate toward Yun Xue but struggles to read the women’s feelings. His concern for Yuan Wei is genuine, yet he is uncertain how to handle her role in his life. He shifts from domestic confusion back to his demanding work.
• Yuan Wei remains warm, hardworking, and quietly devoted, preparing meals and maintaining the household without complaint. Her feelings remain unspoken.
• Qiuqiu is capable of tracing digital activity but limited by hardware and the difficulty of identifying the real person behind a device. Its playful complaints contrast with Shen Bing’s practical constraints.

Significant themes

• Unspoken feelings and emotional uncertainty: The characters rely on hints and intuition rather than direct conversations.
• Friendship alongside romance: Yun Xue’s affection for Shen Bing is complicated by her loyalty and empathy toward Yuan Wei.
• Belonging and security: A casual suggestion about hiring help reveals how easily Yuan Wei could feel displaced.
• Limits of ambition and technology: Shen Bing’s plans and Qiuqiu’s capabilities exceed the resources currently available to them.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing contacts Thorne, who is watching Sanling Heavy Industries’ headquarters in Tokyo. Thorne reports that the company’s chairman has been located, and Shen orders the team to abduct him discreetly, leaving no trace linking the operation to Phantom Immortal Technology.
• Qiuqiu reports a promising new battery developed by an R&D team: it holds 12,000 mAh in a standard phone-battery-sized package and can recharge in ten minutes with a dedicated charger. Shen rewards the team and orders work to begin on production.
• With battery development progressing, Shen turns his attention to a new display-screen project, assigning the research challenges to his teams while reserving the display module for himself.
• The next morning, Shen learns that Thorne’s team has captured Sanling’s chairman and is bringing him to the underground base. Shen intends to keep him there as a test subject.
• Shen tells Commander Gao the news from Japan. He also learns that the government has approved his request to launch a satellite and will send a delegation to his company the following Monday to discuss the project and inspect its specifications.
• Online criticism of Shen grows amid rumors that he is arrogant and plans to skip the Turing Award ceremony in the United States. Phantom Immortal Technology responds to Ferrari’s demand for an apology: it clarifies that Shen’s comments about Ferrari were private, then declares Ferrari unwelcome and rules out cooperation with the company.

Character developments

• Shen Bing remains confident and decisive, quickly turning technical breakthroughs into production plans and expanding his focus to display technology. He also demonstrates how readily he uses his company’s resources and covert team to pursue personal and business objectives.
• Thorne proves well suited to surveillance because people tend to overlook him. He follows Shen’s orders and plans to disguise the team’s mission by taking unrelated jobs afterward.
• Qiuqiu continues to function as Shen’s efficient aide, tracking the Tokyo operation and identifying the battery team’s breakthrough.
• Commander Gao and Gao Jingchuan serve as Shen’s government contacts. Gao Jingchuan reveals the satellite approval and teases Shen, while Shen’s casual manner with both men shows their familiar rapport.

Significant themes

• Technological ambition and commercialization: A major laboratory breakthrough is not the only measure of success; low production cost and scalable manufacturing matter too.
• Power and accountability: Shen’s influence enables him to pursue covert actions and publicly reject a major company, raising questions about the limits of his authority.
• Public image and media narratives: Online opinion shifts quickly, as rumors and resentment shape how people interpret Shen’s behavior.
• State oversight and cooperation: The satellite approval reflects both the government’s interest in Shen’s technology and its duty to verify that a launch complies with regulations.

Character interactions

• Shen gives Thorne clear instructions to capture Sanling’s chairman without leaving evidence, while Thorne reports the team’s progress and proposes a cover strategy.
• Shen praises the battery team’s work and orders Qiuqiu to arrange a bonus, showing his willingness to reward practical results.
• His calls with Commander Gao and Gao Jingchuan mix serious news with teasing and informality.
• Phantom Immortal Technology’s statement escalates the conflict with Ferrari: it rebuts the company’s account, then responds with a sweeping refusal to cooperate.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology publicly declares Ferrari unwelcome and refuses any cooperation, provoking widespread disbelief at the company’s apparent arrogance. The firm offers no explanation, and the public speculates about the statement’s purpose.
• Shen Bing spends two days developing a thinner version of Dream Glass for a new LCD display. He needs to preserve its visual qualities while reducing its thickness from eight millimeters to roughly one or two. Nearly thirty experiments fail, underscoring the difficulty of the work.
• On Monday, Shen Bing returns to company business and meets an inspection delegation arranged by Gao Jingchuan.
• Executives report strong progress on the Xinjin geothermal power station, which is already supplying power as construction continues, and rapid expansion of geothermal projects across China. Shen Bing stresses the importance of completing them quickly and publicizing their benefits.
• Foreign companies from more than ten countries want access to the geothermal technology. Shen Bing insists that Phantom Immortal Technology will build overseas stations itself rather than sell the equipment, preserving control over the business.
• Dragon Scale Security Software has reached 500 million registered users in China and 300 million overseas installations. Strange Fox Company plans to list on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange the following Friday.
• Shen Bing tells executives to postpone new internet partnerships until Dragon Scale reaches two billion installations worldwide, when he intends to begin the next phase of a larger plan.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is ambitious and controlling of his company’s technology and expansion. He accepts the difficulty of the Dream Glass research, directs executives to prioritize geothermal projects, and keeps his broader internet strategy secret.
• Wang Sheng reports company progress and proposes practical ways to refuse foreign requests to buy geothermal equipment.
• Yuan Yi notes that local governments are already eager to support geothermal projects and promote them.
• Chen Wanhua reports the rapid growth of Dragon Scale Security Software.
• Online reactions reveal divided attitudes toward Shen Bing: domestic partners and supporters back him, while many foreign companies resent past dealings with Phantom Immortal Technology.

Significant themes

• Ambition and technological competition: Shen Bing’s research and business plans aim to challenge established industries.
• Control of innovation: The company prefers to retain ownership and operational control of its geothermal technology rather than sell it.
• Power and reputation: Phantom Immortal Technology’s bold public stance attracts criticism, while its projects and products build influence.
• Patience and persistence: Failed experiments and delayed partnerships are treated as steps toward larger goals.

Key events

• Secretary Jiang and a group of senior experts visit Phantom Immortal Technology to review Shen Bing’s request to operate satellites. The government has approved it, subject to learning their intended functions.
• Shen Bing presents plans for a satellite network to support the company’s Dragon Scale Security Software and internal data transmission. He claims just two to four satellites could provide global coverage, with exceptionally high bandwidth and faster international communications.
• The experts realize the technology could underpin an independent network outside the existing Internet. Shen argues that replacing the Internet would be difficult, since users already rely on its established infrastructure and might not notice the difference.
• The experts are especially impressed by the proposed encryption, which Shen says would protect satellite communications from interception, decryption, and hacking.
• Secretary Jiang asks Phantom Immortal Technology to build two satellites for state use. Shen agrees. The satellites are intended to provide secure military communications, with costs offset against the government’s assistance in launching the company’s own satellites.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing presents his technology confidently and cooperates readily with the state, while downplaying the possibility that his network could challenge the Internet.
• Old Liu, a senior expert, presses Shen to consider the technology’s strategic potential, arguing that an independent network could reduce the country’s dependence on U.S.-controlled Internet infrastructure.
• Secretary Jiang handles the visit diplomatically, but the discussion shifts from regulatory review to a major state partnership once the technology’s military value becomes clear.
• Wang Sheng privately recognizes that Shen is being misleading: despite his cautious explanation, Wang believes Shen may well pursue the Internet as he has pursued other ambitious fields.

Significant themes

• Technology and national security: The satellite network could transform secure military communications and coordinated operations.
• Trust and cooperation: The state’s willingness to commission the satellites reflects confidence earned through Shen’s past contributions, though the technology will still undergo rigorous testing.
• Strategic potential versus practical adoption: A technology may be superior yet difficult to replace an entrenched system.
• Shen’s calculated secrecy: He reassures the officials while concealing—or at least not revealing—how far his ambitions may extend.

Chapter Summary

• The book’s breakthrough: Sleepy’s novel Immortal Realm Technology receives a front-page feature. The recognition arrives sooner than he expected, and he is pleased that the book is performing slightly better than his earlier works. It is his fourth book to go premium and his third to earn a major front-page promotion.
• Thanks and background: Sleepy credits editor Bohan for reviewing the manuscript, encouraging him before its release, and recommending it afterward. He also thanks readers for their support. He explains that he spent over half a year developing and revising the idea before publishing the first chapter in June.
• Writing and health: Sleepy writes part-time, usually in the mornings and evenings, and says 6,000 characters a day is already a demanding pace. After five years of writing, he suffers from significant back and neck pain, which can force him to rest before completing promised updates. He nevertheless promises not to miss a day and will add chapters when he can.
• Appeal to readers: Hoping the feature will help the book grow, Sleepy asks readers who can afford it to subscribe, while emphasizing that they should stay within their means. He expresses gratitude to Qidian for hosting the book and to readers for supporting his career.

Character Development and Interactions

Sleepy comes across as grateful and quietly proud of his progress, but also candid about the physical and financial strain of writing. His relationship with Bohan is presented as supportive and professional, while his appeal to readers emphasizes mutual appreciation and consideration.

Significant Themes

The chapter focuses on perseverance, gratitude, the costs of creative work, and the importance of balancing ambition with health and financial realities.

Plot points

• Shen Bing tells Wang Sheng that Phantom Immortal Technology ultimately aims to work on the Internet of Things, not merely the internet, though he considers it too early to attempt reshaping the global tech landscape.
• Back at the company, Shen reviews its future plans. A satellite project is on hold until a suitable rocket can be built; he has revealed only part of what he intends to do with it.
• On his way home, Shen overhears other workers discussing his fame and unusual work habits. He reflects that, before discovering the Gate to the Immortal Realm, he had struggled to find work.
• At home, Yun Xue and Yuan Wei welcome him warmly and mention the wild softshell turtle they bought for dinner.
• In the underground base, Shen meets Jack, who has returned from France with five captured men. Jack suspects they are brokers who secretly arrange illicit deals.
• Shen questions the prisoners. When they claim not to know why they were taken, he orders one sent to the Neurobehavioral Experiment Zone and tells Kamm to guard the rest.
• Shen asks Qiuqiu to verify their identities. Qiuqiu confirms they are French brokers based mainly in Lyon, known for taking jobs and payment in person and often protecting their clients’ identities.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains ambitious but pragmatic: he thinks in terms of long-range technological change while insisting on taking one step at a time. His growing public profile contrasts with his memories of being unemployed. With the prisoners, he is calm and confident, relying on the base’s methods rather than ordinary threats.
• Wang Sheng handles business matters but is out of his depth on the technical distinction between the internet and the Internet of Things.
• Yun Xue and Yuan Wei share an easy, affectionate rapport with Shen, teasing him about not knowing their routine and welcoming him into their household.
• Jack jokes with Shen about needing time off, but quickly turns serious about the French operation. A past bad experience makes him wary of cruise ships, a detail Shen learned through the Consciousness-Reading Device.
• Kamm, once arrogant, is now deferential toward Shen. He threatens the prisoners but backs down when Jack reprimands him.
• Qiuqiu provides intelligence that helps explain both how the brokers were caught and why they may resist revealing their employers.

Significant themes

• Ambition tempered by patience: Shen has sweeping plans but recognizes that major projects depend on timing and practical constraints.
• Fame and lost anonymity: Shen is increasingly recognized and discussed, though he does not welcome the attention.
• Contrasts in belonging: His memories of job rejection sit alongside his warm domestic life and the powerful world he has built beneath the surface.
• Power, secrecy, and information: The brokers’ guardedness, Qiuqiu’s intelligence, and Shen’s interrogation methods highlight how influence often depends on hidden networks and who can uncover them.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing asks Qiuqiu to analyze Lyon’s surveillance network and identify people connected to a shady middleman operation. Data from the Neurobehavioral Experiment Zone soon points to commercial spies trained by Raytheon.
• Shen realizes Raytheon has been subtly manipulating online discussion to pressure him into traveling to the United States for the Turing Award ceremony. He orders the captured spies brainwashed for future use, but postpones confronting Raytheon until after the trip.
• Qiuqiu shows Shen a recording of Little Doudou presiding over a crowd of cats with Feifei beside him. Qiuqiu has been suppressing the footage to keep the unusual scene from being noticed.
• In Japan, the chairman of Sanling Heavy Industries disappears without a trace. Police find no useful surveillance evidence, and the company and government initially struggle to explain what happened. Once the disappearance becomes public, it dominates the news and sparks widespread speculation and online reactions.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident and calculating. He sees through Raytheon’s influence campaign and treats the spies as assets rather than simply enemies.
• Qiuqiu is capable and playful, proudly promising to handle the Lyon investigation and casually reporting on Little Doudou’s odd new life.
• Little Doudou has apparently made himself a “king” among cats, with Feifei as his queen. Shen is exasperated by the spectacle but trusts that Little Doudou will not defy him.
• Raytheon and Shen are engaged in an indirect contest: Raytheon tries to steer Shen toward the United States, while Shen recognizes the trap and chooses his own timing.
• Japanese officials and Sanling executives are unsettled by the chairman’s disappearance. Officials issue a public statement, while the public and media speculate about who is responsible.

Significant themes

• Surveillance and hidden influence: Qiuqiu’s tools expose both the Lyon suspects and Raytheon’s covert manipulation of public opinion.
• Power and leverage: Shen turns captured enemies into potential resources and delays retaliation until it suits him.
• Public perception and speculation: The missing chairman becomes a global sensation, with rumors and political blame spreading faster than facts.
• Historical resentment and moral judgment: Many Huaxia readers celebrate Sanling’s troubles because of the company’s role in producing weapons used against their country, though some commenters object to celebrating a possible kidnapping.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing spends three days searching the Gate to the Immortal Realm for suitable quests. He finds none, and two quests he attempts fail, so he leaves them aside and accepts the new daily quests rather than risk unknown punishment quests.
• The Strange Fox Company makes its domestic stock-market debut. Its shares rapidly rise by 44 percent, then stop trading as buy orders overwhelm the market. Investors’ enthusiasm is driven largely by the company’s partnership with Phantom Immortal Technology and its Dragon Scale Security Software, which has gained over a billion installations worldwide.
• Phantom Immortal Technology remains privately held despite strong investor interest. After Hongda Finance’s failed attempt to pressure the company, financial players are wary of using improper tactics to force it to list.
• Rongcheng launches a smart-city project led by Phantom Immortal Technology. Wang Sheng presents a long-term vision built around AI and government data; the first phase, planned for this year, will replace city surveillance cameras with a system for facial matching and image searches.
• Shen Bing stays away from the ceremony because he is focused on a new display. After five days of development, he creates 0.1-millimeter-thick Dream Glass and, with Lu Xian’s help, produces the first New-Type Display Screen.
• The screen displays remarkably lifelike 3D footage without glasses, impressing Shen Bing. Phantom Immortal Technology will not make finished screens itself: a jointly established company with the Nancy Group will handle production, with Phantom Immortal Technology holding 80 percent and the Nancy Group 20 percent. Fang Yuanming is especially interested in the sales rights.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains ambitious and focused, brushing off online controversy and concentrating on technological breakthroughs and ways to profit from them. His excitement at the display’s realism also shows his pride in what he has created.
• Wang Sheng represents Phantom Immortal Technology at Rongcheng’s launch, translating the company’s technology into a vision of safer, more advanced urban life.
• Lu Xian assists Shen Bing in completing the first screen, reflecting the practical collaboration behind his inventions.
• Fang Yuanming joins the display venture not only for its equity but chiefly for the commercial opportunity of controlling sales.
• Investors’ enthusiasm for Strange Fox contrasts with their inability to invest directly in Phantom Immortal Technology, while the company’s prior dealings with Hongda Finance have made potential aggressors cautious.

Significant themes

• Technology reshaping society: AI-powered security and the new display suggest major changes to city life and media, though the public remains skeptical of another “smart city” promise.
• Innovation and commercial power: Phantom Immortal Technology’s inventions can transform partner companies’ fortunes and command an unusually large share of a joint venture.
• The limits of capital: Investors are eager to profit from the company’s breakthroughs but cannot force their way into a business that chooses to remain private.
• Ambition and control: Shen Bing seeks to turn invention into profit while retaining control of core technology; partners pursue access to manufacturing and sales.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology and the Nancy Group announce a joint venture, Phantom Vision Technology, to enter the display-screen industry. They promise a product within ten days, alarming established manufacturers, especially Japanese and Korean competitors.
• The Nancy Group has already built a modern factory; Phantom Immortal Technology will supply the technology, while the Nancy Group handles facilities and operations.
• Shen Bing shows Nancy Group chairman Fang Yuanming the Phantom Vision Type 1 screen. Its exceptionally clear image leaves Fang stunned.
• Shen outlines an ambitious strategy: Phantom Vision will sell household TVs and potentially other screen-based products, with Phantom Immortal Technology supplying the crucial LCD substrates at cost. Their initial aim is to take market share from Japanese and Korean brands in China, even if that means accepting losses.
• Shen tells Fang to move quickly on production lines, which Phantom Immortal Technology’s machinery division can supply.
• The chapter ends with a shift to Raytheon in the United States: an employee reports that all the brokers the company contacted have mysteriously disappeared.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing displays his usual confidence and playful teasing, joking that Fang is absorbed in a cartoon when Fang is actually astonished by the screen. He also reveals a forceful, strategic side: he is willing to use the new technology to displace foreign competitors, not merely build a profitable business.
• Fang Yuanming moves from amazement at the screen’s quality to enthusiasm about the venture. He realizes Shen’s goal is to pressure Japan and Korea, and commits himself to making the project succeed. He still wonders why Shen is sharing such valuable technology with him.
• Their partnership grows closer, with Shen trusting Fang to lead the commercial and manufacturing effort while retaining control over the key component supply.

Significant themes

• Technological disruption: Phantom Immortal Technology’s entry threatens to reshape an established industry.
• National and commercial competition: The venture is framed as a challenge to Japanese and Korean dominance in the Chinese market.
• Different business philosophies: Fang thinks in terms of sustainable growth and profitability; Shen is willing to prioritize strategic market displacement.
• Trust and partnership: Shen’s decision to cooperate with the Nancy Group strengthens their relationship, though Fang does not fully understand Shen’s motives.
• Unanswered danger: The unexplained disappearance of Raytheon’s brokers introduces a separate, ominous thread.

Key plot points and events

• Thor Company’s leadership learns that the intermediaries it had hired to pressure Shen Bing have vanished. Their Wild Wolf Mercenary Group contacts have no answers, and the boss suspects Phantom Immortal Technology may be involved, citing its past connection to the Godslayer Mercenary Squad.
• To conceal Thor Company’s role, the boss orders the two commercial spies killed. He plans to wait for the upcoming Turing Award announcement: if Shen Bing attends, Thor will proceed with its next measures; if not, it has other plans. The boss also expects U.S. politicians to target Shen Bing.
• At the Machinery Manufacturing Plant, Mo Ban’s arrival has doubled production efficiency. The plant has completed several production lines for Phantom Immortal Technology and four television-production lines for the newly formed Phantom Vision Company.
• Phantom Vision appoints Ding Miao, formerly a deputy general manager at Twin Princes Electrical Appliance Company, as its general manager. The Nancy Group transfers its factory, other assets, and one billion yuan in cash to the independent company, which begins arranging equipment purchases.
• After weeks of research, Shen Bing grows restless and looks for a way to reduce his workload. He needs money in the Gate to the Immortal Realm to buy an Aperture-Opening Pill, but wants to preserve his existing Immortal Jade for an upcoming U.S. trip.
• Qiuqiu suggests using a staged overseas antique purchase to move funds. Shen Bing instead decides on a more dramatic plan. He abandons his circuit-design work and seeks Lu Xian, then asks Qiuqiu to summon Charles, an electronics and networking expert.

Character developments and interactions

• Thor’s boss becomes cautious and wary of Phantom Immortal Technology, while still plotting against Shen Bing. His subordinate is frightened and offers little useful information.
• Shen Bing is increasingly dissatisfied with life in the lab. He remains ambitious, but his company’s success has reduced his need to personally oversee every research area. His longing to spend time with Yun Xue adds to his impatience.
• Mo Ban earns the machinery plant’s experts’ admiration through his extraordinary ability and productivity.
• Ding Miao takes charge of Phantom Vision, bringing experienced leadership to the new venture.
• Qiuqiu acts as Shen Bing’s adviser, proposing a practical method for transferring money; Shen Bing rejects the cautious approach in favor of a more ambitious scheme.

Significant themes

• Corporate rivalry and covert power: Thor Company uses mercenaries and spies, while fearing retaliation from Phantom Immortal Technology.
• Technological growth and scale: Mo Ban’s work and the rapid creation of Phantom Vision show how Phantom Immortal Technology is expanding beyond research into manufacturing and consumer products.
• Wealth, independence, and convenience: Shen Bing’s financial resources give him options, but he seeks a reliable way to move money without attracting suspicion.
• Personal life versus ambition: Shen Bing’s scientific goals compete with his desire for freedom, rest, and closeness with Yun Xue.

Key plot points and events

• The five villas on Dragon Lake Ring Island are joined into one estate, which Shen Bing names Heart-of-the-Lake Manor. His parents move into the Eastern-style villa they prefer; Shen turns another villa into a laboratory, while two remain unused.
• The family plans a reunion dinner to celebrate the move. Yun Xue and Yuan Wei prepare the meal, and Yun Xue shares news of a newly authenticated, more-than-1,000-carat deep lake-blue diamond discovered in Africa. It is to be auctioned in London the following Tuesday.
• Yun Xue eagerly persuades Shen Bing to attend the auction. Yuan Wei worries about his safety because of his recent kidnapping, but Shen assures her he will prepare carefully and agrees that they can all go.
• Shen consults Qiuqiu about the deaths of two commercial spies connected to Thor Company. She discovers they had been transferred to the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, a covert force built up by Thor.
• Qiuqiu also finds evidence that Thor may operate a secret research base near the mercenary group’s headquarters in Africa’s Nadella Region. Shen treats this as a serious possibility and changes his travel plans: he asks Qiuqiu to book three London tickets under his name, so Thor will learn he is going. He plans to bring Old Ban and Lu Xian, while keeping broader security arrangements controlled.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing continues to balance immense wealth with caution. Though he jokes about extravagance, he is wary of drawing suspicion through unusually large charitable donations. He shifts from treating the London trip as leisure to using it as part of a deliberate plan.
• Yun Xue is enthusiastic about the diamond and London, and has improved enough at cooking to help Yuan Wei—though she is still far from being able to cook independently.
• Yuan Wei shows lingering concern for Shen Bing’s safety and asks to accompany him. Her worry contrasts with Yun Xue’s carefree excitement.
• Qiuqiu demonstrates the depth of her investigative abilities, piecing together Thor’s covert operations from indirect evidence. Shen trusts her findings and relies on her to manage both travel and information control.

Significant themes

• Wealth and responsibility: Shen can afford extravagant properties, but recognizes that even charitable spending may attract scrutiny.
• Security and secrecy: The revelations about Thor and its mercenary force heighten the danger surrounding Shen and show how much depends on controlling information.
• Family and care: The new home and reunion dinner provide a warm domestic counterpoint to the growing corporate threat.
• Appearances versus hidden realities: A luxury diamond auction appears to be a glamorous outing, but Shen’s plans are increasingly shaped by covert conflict.

Plot points and events

• A mysterious, masked owner puts a blue diamond weighing over 1,000 carats up for auction. Its estimated value is enormous—at least $3 billion—and he hires the Godslayer Mercenary Squad to protect him, offering them 10% of the sale price.
• The public sees the diamond as a source of wonder and envy, while mercenaries and other criminal groups view it as a chance for a lucrative confrontation. The owner’s identity, the diamond’s origins, and where it was processed remain unknown.
• The owner is actually Shen Bing, acting under the identity Lu Xian. He created the diamond as a way to spend money legitimately and, more importantly, to give himself a convincing reason to travel abroad.
• Shen plans to use the trip to London to unsettle the Americans ahead of the Turing Award ceremony. After learning about the Thor Company, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, and a secret research base, he changes his plans and leaks his travel intention to Thor, hoping they will target him and give him grounds to retaliate.
• Wang Silin, an employee at China’s Civil Aviation Administration, secretly uses a self-made tool to spot Shen’s flight booking. He sells the information to an unnamed contact, receiving an initial payment.
• Secretary Jiang calls Shen to question his sudden trip. Shen claims he needs the giant diamond for research on stealth materials. Though Jiang worries about the danger, Shen insists he has protection and hints at a “secret weapon,” inviting Jiang to his villa to see it.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing emerges as a calculating strategist: he uses the diamond both as a public cover and as bait, carefully trying to provoke the Thor Company while preserving the conditions needed for his planned retaliation.
• Wang Silin is introduced as outwardly ordinary but opportunistic and disloyal. He exploits his position to sell sensitive travel information.
• Secretary Jiang is protective and skeptical, pressing Shen for an explanation and warning him about going abroad. Shen counters with a plausible research rationale and an enigmatic promise of protection.
• The Godslayer Mercenary Squad is portrayed as valuable not only for its strength but for its reputation and wealth, which make it less likely to betray its client.

Significant themes

• Wealth and greed: The diamond inspires envy among the public and dangerous ambition among mercenaries.
• Reputation and trust: The owner chooses the Godslayer Squad partly because its established credibility makes it seem safer than less reputable competitors.
• Deception and strategic misdirection: Shen conceals his identity and true intentions, turning the auction and his travel plans into tools.
• Cause and consequence: Shen’s plan depends on Thor initiating hostilities, allowing him to retaliate within the rules of the Gate to the Immortal Realm.
• Betrayal from within: Wang’s leak shows how a seemingly insignificant insider can expose sensitive information.