Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing leaves the supposedly secure Conrad Hotel and heads for the outskirts of Seattle, apparently responding to the kidnappers’ demands and risking an ambush to rescue Consul General Luo.
• Commander Gao calls to order him back, warning that the state will handle the rescue. Shen refuses, saying he has made preparations and will report back when it is over.
• Shen’s AI, Qiuqiu, reports that his security teams are positioned around him and that Luo is being held on a cruise ship guarded by submarines and nearly a hundred Delta Force soldiers.
• Wei Yu warns Shen that two vehicles are following him and explosives have been planted ahead. Shen orders his team not to remove the bombs, welcoming the attackers’ elaborate setup.
• CIA director Simpson monitors Shen’s approach and plans to use the explosives, then heavy weapons if necessary. He wants Shen stopped before he can return to Huaxia, while keeping the operation’s connection to the CIA hidden.
• In Huaxia, the Chief and military officials track Shen’s progress. They debate ways he could be trapped, but Commander Gao says tests have shown that even anti-tank missiles cannot penetrate Shen’s vehicle. The Chief decides they should watch and trust that Shen has a plan.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains calm and self-assured despite the obvious danger. He dismisses Commander Gao’s warnings, reassures him that he is not acting recklessly, and treats the ambush as a challenge rather than a reason to turn back.
• Commander Gao is furious and worried, but ultimately recognizes he cannot persuade Shen. His conversation with Shen shifts from demanding obedience to urging caution.
• The Chief is concerned for Shen but respects his judgment, choosing observation over intervention. He also directs Gao to tell the U.S. consulate to “watch themselves,” a pointed response to the kidnapping.
• Simpson is ruthless and pragmatic, willing to risk Shen’s death and escalate to military weapons while concealing the CIA’s role.
• Division Commander Zhao initially assumes conventional weapons and tactics could stop Shen, but is forced to reconsider after Gao and the Chief explain the vehicle’s proven defenses.

Significant themes

• Courage and calculated risk: Shen knowingly enters a trap, insisting he is prepared rather than acting blindly.
• Trust versus control: Gao and the Chief worry about Shen, but must decide whether to trust his judgment or try to restrain him.
• Advanced technology and power: Shen’s armored vehicle and security network challenge conventional military assumptions.
• Political hypocrisy and covert violence: The CIA plans an unlawful operation while seeking to hide its involvement, even as public opinion and officials react to the danger.
• Defiance and retaliation: The Chief’s final instruction to warn the U.S. consulate carries an understated threat, suggesting the kidnapping will have diplomatic consequences.

Plot points and events

• Huaxia’s leadership realizes Consul General Luo has been kidnapped and prepares a possible response, including activating personnel in Seattle.
• The Seattle Police Department mobilizes after public outrage over the kidnapping. The CIA takes control of the operation under a presidential order, while concealing its real intentions from the police and clearing civilians from the area.
• CIA Director Simpson grows uneasy when Shen Bing’s expected bodyguards remain unseen. He orders broad military surveillance of the area.
• Shen Bing, monitored through a display in his car, lets the CIA agents pursue him and deliberately drives over a buried bomb. His Bentley is blasted into the air but lands safely and continues on.
• The CIA’s successive attempts to stop Shen fail: road destruction, a truck ramming, and even an antitank missile do not damage the car. Frustrated, Simpson orders the bridge ahead destroyed and arranges for a submarine to recover Shen’s vehicle from the sea.
• As Shen reaches the bridge, he tells his team to proceed with their own plan. The bridge piers explode, the deck collapses, and the Bentley plunges toward the water.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains relaxed and playful amid escalating attacks, treating the CIA’s failures as a chance to demonstrate his technology.
• Simpson shifts from confidence to anxiety and frustration as each plan fails, ultimately escalating to destroying the bridge.
• Commander Gao and Huaxia’s chief signal that they are prepared to retaliate if Shen or Consul General Luo is harmed.
• The Seattle police are eager to act but unknowingly become instruments of the CIA’s operation.
• Shen’s companions Li Xiao and Mo Ban follow his instructions: Li Xiao drives over the bomb, while Mo Ban sends a message just before the bridge collapses.

Significant themes

• Technological superiority: Shen’s seemingly invulnerable vehicle repeatedly defeats conventional weapons.
• Hubris and miscalculation: The CIA assumes its plans can contain Shen, while the police are manipulated by the very agency they believe is coordinating with them.
• Escalation and retaliation: The kidnapping and attacks threaten to expand into an international confrontation.
• Hidden plans and uncertainty: Shen’s missing bodyguards and final message suggest that his side has a strategy not yet revealed.

Key plot points and events

• A masked, heavily armed American team has captured Consul General Luo and holds him aboard a cruise ship. CIA Director Simpson arrives to oversee the operation.
• The president’s aide orders Simpson to release Luo unharmed: Huaxia has inferred American involvement and warned that American personnel in China could face retaliation if Luo dies.
• Simpson agrees, confident that the larger operation is succeeding. He says Shen Bing’s car was sent into the sea after the Seattle Sea-Crossing Bridge was blown up, and plans to recover Shen alive, then stage his death and blame terrorists.
• Shen Bing appears through a mysterious doorway, revealing he survived and can seemingly travel instantly. He taunts Simpson and hints at knowledge of the CIA’s past leadership.
• Simpson’s men open fire, but Shen’s protective clothing and transparent shield deflect the bullets. His companion Mo Ban swiftly disables the attackers and strips them of their weapons.
• Simpson secretly tries to activate a signal transmitter linked to a nuclear submarine, intending to destroy the cruise ship with a torpedo.
• Meanwhile, the president’s aide loses contact with Simpson and then with two nuclear submarines. Convinced Shen may be aboard a yacht and that communications are being jammed, the president orders a missile strike—escalating the crisis dramatically.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is calm, confident, and apparently equipped with extraordinary technology or abilities. He turns the ambush back on its perpetrators without showing fear.
• Simpson moves from smug confidence to shock and despair when Shen appears, then remains fanatically committed to stopping him, even at the risk of destroying the ship.
• The president shifts from covert damage control to an extreme, desperate response once contact is lost.
• Aide Stanley recognizes the danger and initially questions the missile order, but ultimately follows the president’s decision.
• Mo Ban is established as a formidable and loyal combatant who can neutralize the armed team almost instantly.

Significant themes

• Deception and appearances: Shen’s supposed death and Simpson’s apparent control of events prove misleading; as Shen says, eyes can deceive.
• Escalating covert conflict: Secret abductions, staged terrorism, and retaliatory threats bring the two powers closer to open confrontation.
• Power and technological superiority: Conventional weapons are useless against Shen, while the Americans’ increasingly destructive plans expose their vulnerability.
• Loyalty and fanaticism: Simpson prioritizes defeating Shen over his own survival or diplomatic consequences.

Character interactions

• Simpson clashes with the president’s aide over whether Luo should be released, then complies when warned of Huaxia’s likely retaliation.
• Shen calmly confronts Simpson and mocks the need for scapegoats, while Simpson tries to have him shot.
• Mo Ban backs Shen by swiftly disarming the attackers.
• Stanley reports the communication failures to the president and challenges the proposed strike, but the president overrides his concerns.

Key plot points and events

• Facing mounting disaster, the U.S. President orders a destroyer to fire ten Tomahawk missiles at the cruise ship carrying Shen Bing and others. The military is instructed to present the strike as a necessary response to an imminent terrorist attack.
• The missiles destroy the ship, and the government publicly claims it has foiled a plot against American cities.
• At nearly the same time, a massive explosion devastates a highly classified research facility at Area 51. The surviving members of the Tina organization claim responsibility online and frame the blast as retaliation for the missile strike.
• The U.S. government cannot credibly deny the claim after its own announcement about the supposed terrorist organization. The Area 51 disaster leaves no known survivors and destroys valuable research and personnel.
• Public anger erupts across the United States, directed at both the terrorists and the government. The President’s televised condolences and promises to fight terrorism fail to restore confidence.
• Congress learns that two nuclear submarines have also gone missing because of errors in the President’s command. With earlier impeachment proceedings still unresolved, his political future becomes uncertain.
• In Huaxia, public attention centers on the possible deaths of Shen Bing and Zhou Hong, especially Shen, who is regarded as a major symbol of the country’s technological future.

Character developments and interactions

• The President shifts from determined confidence to regret, fear, and panic. He recognizes that his attempt to capture Shen alive helped create the crisis, but still decides Shen must be eliminated. He then tries to control the public narrative, despite knowing the official story is fabricated.
• Stanley follows the President’s orders and leaves to coordinate the military announcement.
• The President and the public become increasingly estranged: his speech offers reassurance, but citizens distrust the government after its claims are quickly contradicted by events.
• The President and Congress are placed on a collision course, as lawmakers use the submarine losses and the wider crisis to question his competence.
• Shen Bing and Zhou Hong do not act directly in the chapter, but their apparent deaths become central to public concern in Huaxia.

Significant themes

• The consequences of deception: The government’s invented terrorist narrative traps it, making it difficult to explain the Area 51 attack or regain credibility.
• Escalation and blowback: The missile strike intended to end the crisis is followed by an even more damaging disaster.
• Political accountability: Military failures, public outrage, and congressional pressure threaten the President’s position.
• Power and uncertainty: The President realizes that Shen Bing and Phantom Immortal Technology are far more formidable and unpredictable than he assumed.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology announces that chairman Shen Bing has been rescued, while keeping the rescuer’s identity secret. Shen had contacted his family, colleagues, and Huaxia officials as soon as the cruise ship was destroyed, then arranged the announcement to frustrate the U.S. president.
• The president’s hopes of using Shen’s supposed death to defend himself against impeachment collapse. He is further troubled by the continuing disappearance of two submarines. Zhou Hong, another kidnapped person, appears in Mexico and begins returning to Huaxia without Shen.
• Shen returns to Rongcheng in a newly purchased second Immortal Carriage, leaving Thorne’s team to destroy a remaining research base focused on genetics. Shen hopes to recruit its researchers, who may have created the Gene Warriors he encountered in London.
• At the Underground Base, Shen’s team processes roughly 3,000 captives: nearly 2,000 researchers and over 1,000 combat and support staff. A few hundred rebellious fighters are swiftly defeated by Shen’s security team; the rest are registered and prepared for Subconscious Implantation.
• After resting, Shen refuses Samsung vice chairman Quan Linxian’s request for a meeting, telling his assistant to send him back. He also learns that Dragon Scale Security Software has reached 2.9 billion paid users, despite being banned in the United States, and tells Wang Sheng to prepare the company’s next stage.
• Yun Xue confronts Shen emotionally, asking him not to travel abroad again—or to take her with him. He promises to stay away until he no longer faces threats, then joins his parents for dinner.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident and strategically focused, using the rescue announcement to antagonize the U.S. president. He is also more aware of the distress his dangerous work causes his loved ones, especially Yun Xue.
• Yun Xue reveals a vulnerable, frightened side beneath her usual strength. Her tears and embrace show how deeply Shen’s near-death experience affected her; their playful exchange about a childhood promise restores some warmth.
• Wang Sheng and Huaxia’s leadership coordinate with Shen after learning he is safe, while Wang handles the public announcement and company preparations.
• The captured personnel test Shen’s authority, but the failed uprising establishes the overwhelming strength of his security team. The researchers, meanwhile, are valued as potential recruits.
• Yan Lexuan reports on Samsung’s request and Dragon Scale’s growth; Shen responds decisively, rejecting Samsung and dismissing the U.S. ban as unimportant.

Significant themes

• Power and retaliation: Shen uses public information and military success to undermine his enemies, while the U.S. president faces the consequences of his failed operation.
• Control and recruitment: Captives are brought into Shen’s organization through force, administration, and Subconscious Implantation, raising the theme of authority over individual choice.
• Personal costs of ambition: Shen may feel invulnerable, but Yun Xue’s fear exposes the emotional burden his actions place on those close to him.
• Technology and expansion: The genetics research team and Dragon Scale’s enormous user base signal the continued growth of Shen’s enterprise.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing returns safely to Huaxia and reassures his parents that he will avoid unnecessary travel abroad. His father jokes about North America someday becoming a Chinese province.
• At dinner, Yun Xue reveals that Wu Xiaoyun has canceled their high-school reunion. She suspects Wu may be planning to leave Huaxia; Shen Bing confirms he had already considered the possibility but says he has not harmed or confronted her.
• Shen’s father praises Phantom Vision TV. Shen explains that it may briefly disrupt the market, especially for imported high-end brands, but domestic companies are unlikely to suffer lasting damage.
• Phantom Immortal Technology announces an invitation for major internet companies to join an “artificial intelligence feast.” The announcement creates intense speculation, especially given the success of companies such as Strange Fox and Nancy Group after benefiting from Shen’s technology.
• Twelve of Huaxia’s leading internet companies receive invitations and rush to Rongcheng. Their gathering fuels rumors that Phantom Immortal Technology is forming an AI alliance and could reshape the global technology industry.
• On April 27, the twelve executives meet Shen at Phantom Immortal Technology. He says that, while young in the broader internet industry, he is a pioneer in AI, and asks them: “Noah’s Ark has been built. Would you like a ticket aboard?”

Character developments

• Shen Bing appears relaxed after his return, but his confidence and ambition are evident in how he frames the AI meeting as an opportunity to join a world-changing project.
• Yun Xue shows her sharp intuition by connecting Wu Xiaoyun’s sudden cancellation to a possible departure from Huaxia.
• Shen Bing’s parents express concern in their restrained, familiar way. Their affection is clear despite their habit of avoiding overt displays.

Significant themes

• Family care and independence: Shen’s parents care deeply but have raised him to stand on his own.
• Patriotism and choosing sides: Wu Xiaoyun’s possible departure raises the contrast between those who value Huaxia and those who idealize life abroad.
• Technology as power and opportunity: The Intelligent Core’s value draws major companies toward Phantom Immortal Technology and promises to transform the industry.
• Ambition and historical change: The meeting is presented as the start of AI’s rise onto the world stage, with Shen positioning the coming transformation as an ark that others may choose to board.

Character interactions

• Shen and his parents trade affectionate, teasing remarks over dinner, while Yun Xue helps serve the meal.
• Yun Xue questions Shen about Wu Xiaoyun; he confirms her suspicion indirectly but avoids making the issue a confrontation.
• Shen’s father discusses Phantom Vision TV with him, giving Shen a chance to explain its likely market impact.
• Shen addresses the twelve invited executives with a dramatic metaphor, leaving them puzzled about what “Noah’s Ark” means in the context of AI.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing warns twelve leading internet-company executives that a major upheaval is coming, presenting Phantom Immortal Technology’s Intelligent Core as the way to survive and prosper.
• He explains how access to the technology could transform online businesses. In e-commerce, for example, AI could create accurate body models and simulate how clothing fits, while also helping address concerns about product quality.
• Shen Bing promises Phantom Immortal Technology will remain a platform provider rather than compete in downstream applications, apart from its existing Dragon Scale Security Software.
• To allocate opportunities, he identifies twelve profitable sectors. Each company must choose two, and no sector may be chosen by more than two companies.
• When the executives ask how overlapping claims will be settled, Shen Bing proposes bidding. Existing top-three companies in a sector receive a weighting on their bids, protecting their established strengths. Winning firms will receive exclusive access to the relevant interfaces.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing demonstrates confidence and strategic control: he offers the executives partnership, but sets the terms and makes clear that refusing means risking displacement by other partners.
• Zhou Hong, recently rescued after being kidnapped, arrives quickly and feels no resentment toward Shen Bing; the rescue has strengthened his admiration and trust.
• Niu Yu asks practical questions about licensing and allocation, reflecting the executives’ concern about securing favorable positions.
• Hua Teng raises the central issue of whether competing companies can share access to the same business sector.
• The executives are tempted by the Intelligent Core but hesitate, recognizing that access will require meaningful contributions and that Shen Bing’s plan could reshape who holds power in the industry.

Significant themes

• Partnership under unequal power: Shen Bing offers cooperation, but Phantom Immortal Technology controls the technology and therefore much of the industry’s future.
• Competition and fair allocation: Bidding determines access, while bid weighting balances market competition with respect for incumbents.
• Innovation as disruption: The Intelligent Core promises to solve familiar consumer problems and create new opportunities across multiple sectors.
• The price of opportunity: The executives’ central concern shifts from whether to join Shen Bing’s plan to how to claim the most valuable share of it.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing establishes rules for licensing Phantom Immortal Technology’s AI interfaces: two companies per industry, with bids weighted to discourage firms from taking licenses outside their expertise. Companies may cooperate or form joint ventures.
• He urges them to build platforms and let outside developers create applications, aiming to grow China’s AI ecosystem and challenge established American internet companies.
• The auctions begin. Online Gaming commands the highest opening bid. Penguin wins one license for 20 billion yuan, and Xinlang takes the other.
• Taobao’s Niu Yu buys an E-Commerce license in his own name for 18 billion yuan. Jindong and Yigou join forces to secure the second license for 13 billion.
• Across the auctions, Phantom Immortal Technology signs contracts worth 300 billion yuan. Payment is conditional on implementation and acceptance, since the bidders have not yet seen the AI’s capabilities firsthand.
• Afterward, Shen Bing invites the twelve executives to his villa and announces that he will cook for them. None of his guests—or even his assistant Li Xiao—knows whether he can cook, leaving them worried that the promised “feast” may be a disaster.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing presents himself as a confident strategist: he shapes the licensing rules, encourages a platform-based ecosystem, and accepts payment after performance rather than demanding it upfront.
• Mr. Hua Teng shifts from considering an E-Commerce bid to recognizing Online Gaming as a better fit for Penguin. The high opening price sparks his hopes that AI—and possibly virtual reality—could transform gaming, and he becomes determined to win a license.
• Niu Yu surprises the other executives by buying Taobao’s license personally rather than through the company. Jindong and Yigou’s leaders cooperate to obtain the remaining license at a lower price.
• Zhou Hong, whose company already benefited from an earlier project, readily supports Shen Bing’s rules; the others view his agreement with some resentment.
• The executives respect Shen Bing’s business judgment and accept the costly licenses, but reserve payment until the technology proves itself. Their curiosity turns to apprehension when they learn he plans to cook.

Significant themes

• Competition and cooperation: Limited licenses create intense bidding, but joint ventures offer a way to share opportunities.
• Platforms and open ecosystems: Shen Bing argues that platforms should enable many developers rather than monopolize the creation of every product.
• Risk, trust, and proof: The companies make major commitments but insist on testing the AI before paying.
• Ambition and technological possibility: The Online Gaming auction reveals how AI could reshape an industry—and fuels speculation about virtual reality.
• Humor after high-stakes business: The chapter ends by undercutting the enormous auction with uncertainty about Shen Bing’s cooking.

Key events

• Twelve business leaders visit Shen Bing’s villa, anxious about eating food cooked by someone who has never cooked before. They are too dependent on him for an upcoming artificial-intelligence partnership to risk offending him.
• The guests notice the villa’s unusually refreshing air and wonder whether Shen has invented advanced air-purification technology. In fact, the effect comes from the supernatural plants growing around the property.
• After more than an hour in the kitchen, Shen and his assistant Li Xiao serve ten unfamiliar but beautifully presented, fragrant dishes.
• The guests taste the food and are overwhelmed by its flavor. They quickly abandon their manners, sample everything, and clear the table.
• Shen takes their enthusiastic praise as proof that the Complete Guide to Ingredient Processing works. He jokingly asks them to support him if he enters the culinary world; they agree automatically, then realize he may be serious.

Character developments and interactions

• Niu Yu and the other executives shift from dread and caution to amazement, delight, and embarrassment over how greedily they eat. Their dependence on Shen’s cooperation is clear, but the meal temporarily eclipses business concerns.
• Shen Bing reveals a new talent and takes pride in his successful first attempt at cooking. His request for future support suggests he may consider a culinary venture.
• Li Xiao helps in the kitchen and watches the executives devour the meal, regretting that he did not sneak a taste.
• The executives praise Shen repeatedly, while Niu Yu jokes that ordinary food will now seem like “pig feed.”

Significant themes

• Extraordinary ability and hidden potential: Shen’s apparent genius extends even to a skill he has never tried.
• Supernatural influence in everyday life: The villa’s restorative atmosphere comes from its magical plants, not technology.
• Power and dependence: The executives’ fear of upsetting Shen reflects how much they need his cooperation.
• Sensory transformation: The meal is so exceptional that it reshapes the guests’ expectations—and possibly their future plans.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing jokingly suggests becoming a chef after guests praise his cooking, leaving the business leaders puzzled about whether Phantom Immortal Technology intends to enter the hotel industry.
• After lunch, the group resumes discussing the Intelligent Core. Shen explains that its remaining interfaces will be opened to individuals and companies for a fee, without limits on how many users can take each category.
• The guests realize that the Intelligent Core could eventually replace much of today’s software—and perhaps even operating systems—while giving Phantom Immortal Technology the foundation for a broad software ecosystem.
• At the company, Chen Wanhua is promoted to Network Department manager, while Old Yang becomes deputy manager in charge of Intelligent Core technical work.
• Shen assigns Old Yang to train twenty-one carefully screened programmers in a new Chinese-language programming system. Access requires Phantom Immortal Technology’s dedicated tools and remote authorization.
• Shen reviews the company’s finances: despite spending billions and carrying out costly infrastructure projects, its cash reserves have rapidly recovered to more than ten billion.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains enigmatic and strategically minded. He gives vague answers when he does not want to reveal his plans, then makes major technical and organizational decisions with confidence. He also jokes that his college years prepared him to invent a programming language, though Old Yang privately knows this is an exaggeration.
• Chen Wanhua is rewarded for diligence and ability with a promotion. He reports that he has identified twenty-one trustworthy, talented programmers.
• Old Yang is entrusted with leading the new programming-language initiative, though Shen acknowledges that he still needs experience.
• The business leaders, including Zhou Hong, Liu Jun, and Hua Teng, admire Shen’s villa and cooking, but gradually shift their attention to the Intelligent Core. They infer the scale of his long-term strategy without directly challenging him.
• Li Xiao eagerly devours Shen’s noodles, now understanding why others reacted so strongly to the cooking.

Significant themes

• Strategic ambition and technological disruption: The Intelligent Core may reshape the software industry and challenge the dominance of existing platforms and operating systems.
• Secrecy and foresight: Shen’s vague replies conceal plans that become clearer only through his actions.
• Building domestic capability: The Chinese-language programming system and screened local talent reflect an effort to develop an independent technology ecosystem.
• Scale and financial pressure: Phantom Immortal Technology’s enormous infrastructure spending highlights both its resources and the risks of pursuing long-term projects.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology’s earnings are soaring. Dragon Scale Security Software has nearly three billion paying users, while the Disney Dream Glass project is nearing completion. The company has also signed deals with twelve major domestic internet firms worth nearly 300 billion yuan and selected ten more large Dream Glass projects.
• Shen Bing decides not to spend the incoming money on Aperture-Opening Pills. Instead, he prioritizes the company’s expanding projects and other pressing needs.
• In the United States, the disappearance of two nuclear submarines sparks global alarm. Other nations urge the U.S. to locate them and prevent any nuclear disaster, assuming the loss resulted from internal failures.
• The U.S. government faces a cascade of crises: CIA leadership has been devastated, Area 51 has suffered an explosion, and a secret genetic research base has been destroyed along with its Gene Warriors. The President fears impeachment and removal from office, while dismissing the possibility that Shen Bing could be responsible for the missing submarines.
• Shen Bing travels to Xinjing County for the opening ceremony of the completed geothermal power station. The project is presented as a major global energy milestone and proof that Phantom Immortal Technology’s plan is viable.
• During the drive, Shen Bing checks the Gate to the Immortal Realm and notes that he has completed four quests in a month—a personal record—earning two thousand immortal jade.

Character developments

• Shen Bing has grown so powerful and wealthy that sums that once seemed enormous now matter little compared with his priorities. He is focused on expanding Phantom Immortal Technology and advancing its larger ambitions.
• The U.S. President is increasingly overwhelmed by domestic and international pressure. He worries that he may become the first president removed from office through impeachment, but cannot accept that Shen Bing might be behind the submarine disappearances.
• Navy Commander Barton fears a military court-martial over the missing submarines, which were redeployed at the President’s insistence.
• U.S. intelligence officials are portrayed as beleaguered and disorganized, with the CIA unable to manage its own internal crises.

Significant themes

• Power and scale: Phantom Immortal Technology’s wealth and influence have grown so much that conventional measures of success—such as billions in revenue—no longer impress Shen Bing.
• Technological progress and public benefit: The geothermal station symbolizes a possible transition away from polluting thermal power and toward cleaner energy.
• Institutional fragility: The U.S. government and intelligence services struggle to respond to overlapping disasters, exposing weaknesses in leadership and security.
• Unrecognized consequences: While the world assumes the submarine crisis is the result of U.S. internal failures, the President’s refusal to consider Shen Bing’s involvement leaves the true cause unresolved.

Character interactions

• Officials at provincial, municipal, and national levels pressure Shen Bing to attend the geothermal station ceremony, underscoring the project’s importance and his public influence.
• The President’s decision to redeploy the submarines places Barton in a dangerous position, even though Barton had reservations about the move.
• Governments worldwide publicly pressure the United States to account for the missing submarines, adding to the President’s political burden.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing travels to the Xinjin Geothermal Power Station for its completion ceremony, hoping a mission might appear along the way. None does.
• He sees that the once-under-construction site has become a vast, park-like complex. Nearly all generating units are running, supplying most of Rongcheng’s electricity; the station’s highly automated operation requires only eight Phantom Immortal Technology employees.
• More than a thousand reporters crowd the ceremony. Shen Bing answers questions about future projects, saying expansion will depend on demand and that his company aims to meet it.
• He refuses to consider U.S. cooperation, blaming the U.S. president’s hostility toward his company. He signals that India could be an overseas opportunity, but only if its government accepts Phantom Immortal Technology’s model: the company builds and operates the plants, then sells the electricity rather than the equipment.
• Shen Bing postpones further questions until a press conference and meets local and provincial officials before the ceremony.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is confident and media-savvy, turning questions into opportunities to promote his company’s policies. He is blunt about the United States but pragmatic about India’s potential.
• Reporters compete for his attention, probing not only the power station but also his company, the Turing Award, and his reported experience in the United States.
• Rongcheng Secretary Li Zhuoming and Xinjing County official Wang Weinan praise the project’s public value and Shen Bing’s achievements. Provincial Electric Power Company head Zou Yuanchang arrives with an easygoing joke, reflecting their growing familiarity.

Significant themes

• Technological efficiency: The station’s enormous output and tiny workforce showcase Phantom Immortal Technology’s confidence in its automation and reliability.
• Energy and public welfare: Geothermal power is presented as a means to meet growing demand and potentially reduce pollution and electricity shortages.
• Business and geopolitics: International cooperation depends not only on technical capability but also on political relations and each country’s willingness to accept Phantom Immortal Technology’s terms.
• Publicity and influence: Shen Bing uses media attention to shape perceptions and communicate company policy, while officials and reporters recognize the project’s national significance.

Key events

• Phantom Immortal Technology holds a completion ceremony for the Xinjin Geothermal Power Station, featuring a huge, seamless display that also showcases Phantom Vision’s screen technology.
• Provincial Secretary Jiang and National Electricity Department head Li Fuqiang attend, signaling strong government support for the project and geothermal power.
• Secretary Jiang announces that Sichuan plans several more geothermal stations using Phantom Immortal Technology’s model. Li Fuqiang presents geothermal power as a key part of a national shift away from coal-fired generation, while acknowledging the transition will affect workers and industries.
• In his speech, Shen Bing backs the clean-energy transition but urges a broader change: energy-intensive industries should replace coal with electricity, and new-energy vehicles should be promoted.
• Reporters seize on Shen’s unexpected remarks. After the formal proceedings, Jiang and Li leave Shen to handle the press questions, and a reporter asks whether his company already has plans for new-energy vehicles.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows political tact by letting Li take the central place on the dais and avoiding the spotlight, but his speech reveals ambitions beyond power generation. His comments catch both officials and reporters off guard.
• Secretary Jiang publicly praises the company and signals Sichuan’s intention to expand geothermal projects. He and Li Fuqiang later exchange knowing looks and politely leave Shen to face the reporters.
• Li Fuqiang frames geothermal energy as a national priority and acknowledges the social costs of replacing thermal power.
• Wang Sheng, hosting the ceremony, appears more confident than before, crediting his growth to his work with Phantom Immortal Technology.

Significant themes

• The chapter emphasizes the promise of clean energy and the government’s support for scaling geothermal power.
• It also recognizes the difficult human and industrial consequences of replacing established energy sources.
• Shen’s remarks widen the focus from clean power generation to electrifying industry and transport, hinting at new developments from Phantom Immortal Technology.
• The title reflects how Shen’s latest announcement leaves the public and press still trying to catch up with the company’s rapid changes.

Plot points and events

• At the completion ceremony for the Xinjin Geothermal Power Station, Shen Bing reveals that Phantom Immortal Technology has made substantial progress on energy-storage technology. He says its performance is approaching the level of “super batteries” rumored online, but withholds specifications and says the company has not settled on how to use it.
• His joking explanation—“our company is pretty busy”—reinforces the firm’s reputation for having more demand and projects than it can immediately serve.
• Media coverage shifts from the geothermal station to the battery announcement. Online speculation explodes, with extravagant claims about instant charging and vastly greater capacity. Many people hope the technology will transform phones and electric vehicles.
• Internet users conclude Phantom Immortal Technology may be preparing to enter the smartphone market. They connect its work in software, displays, lithography machines, and now batteries, and anticipate a phone built from the company’s advanced technologies.
• Two days later, Sichuan Province cuts its lowest residential electricity rate by more than 20 percent, from 0.52 to 0.4 yuan. The move pressures other provinces to follow, while making cooperation with Phantom Immortal Technology’s geothermal projects increasingly attractive.
• The company is producing nearly 200 Geothermal Power Generators per day and plans to expand output so it can build geothermal stations nationwide more quickly.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains guarded about the company’s capabilities, offering only enough information to spark interest. His casual, teasing answers contrast with the enormous implications of the technology.
• Reporters press him for battery specifications and intended applications, but he gives no concrete details.
• The Xinjing County Party secretary is frustrated that the ceremony loses the spotlight to the battery news, but he cannot challenge Shen Bing’s influence.
• The public and online commentators respond with excitement, speculation, and jokes, treating Phantom Immortal Technology’s track record as grounds to believe even extraordinary claims.
• Provincial power companies and governments face pressure to lower rates or speed up geothermal cooperation after Sichuan’s announcement.

Significant themes

• Reputation and credibility: Phantom Immortal Technology’s history of fulfilling bold claims makes people take Shen Bing’s hint seriously.
• Public expectation versus corporate control: The company’s silence leaves room for rumors, while it retains control over when and how its technology is revealed.
• Technological ambition and market disruption: The battery, alongside the firm’s software, display, and chip work, suggests a broad push into consumer electronics.
• Public benefit and strategic leverage: Lower electricity costs help ordinary residents while also making geothermal technology a source of national and international influence.

Key events

• Shen Bing accepts Lu Ban’s mission to collect Demon Soul Hearts and teleports to the Netherworld. He finds the bleak, death-filled landscape but no Demon Souls, leaving the mission unresolved.
• While Shen Bing searches, Gao Jingchuan calls with news that two rockets are ready to launch Phantom Immortal Technology’s satellites. Shen Bing says he will check on production and estimates the satellites will be ready within a week or so.
• Shen Bing confirms with Qiuqiu that the satellite modules are nearly finished; only a key chip remains to be packaged. Qiuqiu has produced a thousand chip sets to avoid repeating the lengthy manufacturing process.
• Shen Bing visits the industrial park, where satellite bodies are being made at the high-security Metal Smelting Plant. He sees the rapid construction of the company headquarters and the park’s expanding facilities.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing’s new confidence in his abilities leads him to attempt a mission he would previously have ignored, though he has no luck finding targets.
• His exchange with Gao Jingchuan is teasing and informal, but quickly turns to business: the two coordinate rocket launches and satellite deadlines. Shen Bing also agrees to prioritize the military’s satellite order.
• Shen Bing trusts Qiuqiu’s judgment on production and gives a brief instruction to accelerate chip manufacturing.
• Shen Bing’s attention to security is evident: he requires even himself to undergo inspection at sensitive facilities, setting an example for company management.

Significant themes

• Technological independence: Shen Bing sees the satellite network as a way to protect the company from foreign restrictions on communications.
• Scale and ambition: Large-scale chip production, satellite manufacturing, and rapid construction show the company’s growing capabilities.
• Security and responsibility: The company’s guarded facilities reflect its strategic importance, while Shen Bing’s rules emphasize that security standards apply to everyone.
• Workplace values: The industrial park remains active on the holiday, with workers receiving five times their usual pay for working, presenting the company as unusually generous to its employees.

Key plot points and events

• At the Industrial Park, Shen Bing inspects a nearly finished satellite built by Mo Ban and a team of thirteen technicians. It includes advanced communications equipment and, in the company’s two private satellites only, a classified long-range telescope capable of detailed observation roughly a thousand kilometers away.
• Mo Ban reports that the satellites’ components were made with exceptional precision and that his improved “Craftsman God No. 2” machine tool should enable the team to manufacture satellites independently. Shen Bing approves the progress and orders three more geothermal generators for the park.
• Back at his villa, Shen Bing checks the Immortal Peach Tree. Its eighty-one peaches remain untouched, and a sparrow continues incubating eggs in its nest. He wonders whether the tree and the birds’ enhancements will make the hatchlings unusual.
• Meanwhile, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces a $10 billion investment in artificial intelligence. Despite skepticism about whether money can produce strong AI, he proceeds with hiring and construction. Investors sell Facebook shares, sending its stock—and the broader US market—downward.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is satisfied with the satellite work and supports Mo Ban’s plan to train technicians by having them build the equipment themselves. He remains cautious about sharing classified technology and continues searching unsuccessfully in the game for a Demon Soul.
• Mo Ban acts as both master engineer and mentor, guiding the technicians rather than doing all the work himself. His confidence in their growing ability suggests they may soon be self-sufficient.
• The sparrows remain devoted to their roles: one incubates the eggs while the other brings food. Shen Bing watches over them with curiosity and anticipation.
• Zuckerberg is portrayed as resolute, ignoring internal objections and market criticism to pursue AI. His determination contrasts with investors’ growing anxiety.

Significant themes

• Technological advancement and secrecy: The company’s capabilities far exceed public technology, but Shen Bing limits access to sensitive innovations.
• Training through practice: Mo Ban prioritizes developing skilled workers, even at the cost of producing satellites less efficiently.
• Risk and belief in innovation: Zuckerberg’s AI gamble divides opinion and shows how ambitious plans can unsettle markets before results are known.
• Anticipation of transformation: The sparrow eggs offer a quieter parallel to the chapter’s larger technological expectations: both await the emergence of something potentially extraordinary.

Plot and key events

• Phantom Immortal Technology’s technicians learn the Dragon Language Programming Language and begin supporting twelve major companies as they develop software using the Intelligent Core.
• Their collaboration sparks a surge of enthusiasm for China’s internet industry. American tech giants quietly pursue AI, while Facebook draws public attention with its conspicuous investment.
• Finance manager Zhuang Xin reports that the company has accumulated substantial cash. Shen Bing says he has other plans for it and arranges a meeting with the Chief, citing AI and the United States.
• Shen tells the Chief he plans to bring the Intelligent Core into the U.S. market through a discreet arrangement involving Facebook and an American company, rather than using his own company’s name. After more than an hour of discussion, he leaves apparently satisfied.
• Shen sends Eli and twelve other trusted operatives to the Virgin Islands to take control of the offshore company Jibada and await further instructions.
• The following day, Shen tells Wang Sheng and Zhuang Xin to transfer the company’s entire 200 billion overseas, classifying it as an overseas investment. He assures them the authorities will approve the transfer quickly.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing acts strategically and keeps his plans close: he seeks government approval before moving funds and replaces outside hires with loyal, capable subordinates for the sensitive Jibada operation.
• The Chief is receptive and composed, postponing an important meeting to hear Shen’s proposal and asking for the plan rather than reacting with suspicion.
• Zhuang Xin has grown more confident and professional, but responsibly raises concerns about the legal and accounting challenges of transferring such a large sum.
• Wang Sheng and Zhuang Xin are startled by Shen’s order and briefly wonder whether he intends to flee, though they conclude he must have another plan.
• Eli accepts command of the overseas operation without hesitation, reflecting her loyalty to Shen.

Significant themes

• AI as a source of economic and geopolitical influence: The Intelligent Core drives corporate excitement and shapes Shen’s plans for entering the U.S. market.
• Secrecy and strategic maneuvering: Shen uses intermediaries, an offshore company, and trusted operatives to carry out a high-stakes plan.
• Trust and authority: Shen relies on the Chief’s support and his subordinates’ loyalty, while his employees must trust his unexplained decisions.
• Contrast in risk management: American tech firms quietly pursue AI, whereas Facebook’s public investment exposes it to greater scrutiny.

Key events

• Shen Bing directs Phantom Immortal Technology to transfer 200 billion yuan to an overseas account, surprising Finance Manager Zhuang Xin. Wang Sheng follows the order without pressing him.
• Shen explains that the company will work with Facebook to bring its Intelligent Core into the US market. Facebook will receive interface specifications, not the technology’s underlying control, so Shen can disable it if the partnership turns hostile.
• The larger goal is to gain control of Facebook. Under a deal with Zuckerberg, Shen will receive 10% of Facebook’s Class B shares, acquire more shares as the price falls, and ultimately secure over half the voting power. Zuckerberg agreed after Shen promised to multiply Facebook’s market value tenfold.
• Shen’s money is moved through three Virgin Islands shell companies. With Qiuqiu’s help, they begin shorting Facebook as its share price drops sharply following Zuckerberg’s AI-investment announcement.
• Meanwhile, two company-owned satellites are completed and transported for launch from Changxi that evening. Shen declines an invitation to watch the launch, preferring to connect to the satellites from his underground base as soon as they reach orbit.
• While waiting, he searches the Netherworld for “Demon Souls,” growing frustrated that he cannot find them.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows himself to be strategically ambitious and confident, using both his technical advantage and a planned stock decline to pursue control of Facebook. His extravagant-spender reputation remains a running joke, especially in his exchange with Wang Sheng about the Azure Heart.
• Wang Sheng is loyal but cautious: he questions the Facebook plan’s risks and doubts Zuckerberg would surrender control. Shen teases him for remaining an employee rather than becoming a billionaire; Wang accepts the jab with a rueful joke.
• Zhuang Xin is left out of the strategic reasoning behind the transfer but carries out Shen’s order.
• Zuckerberg is presented as a willing partner in Shen’s plan, though his apparent inaction as Facebook’s stock falls helps deepen the market crash.
• Chen Wanhua is excitedly preparing the company’s satellite monitoring center, unaware that Shen is waiting underground to take direct control.

Significant themes

• Power through technology and finance: Shen combines proprietary technology, corporate alliances, and market tactics to pursue dominance.
• Control and trust: He offers Facebook access to the Intelligent Core while retaining ultimate control, and structures the share deal to ensure Zuckerberg remains aligned with him.
• Humor amid high stakes: Banter about Shen’s spending habits and Wang’s billionaire prospects lightens the discussion of enormous sums and corporate takeovers.
• Innovation and self-reliance: The satellites mark a major milestone for the company, expanding its ability to operate independently in space.

Key plot points

• Shen Bing returns from the Netherworld to ask Lu Ban how to find Demon Souls. He learns that only those with an opened Heavenly Eye can see them there, and that thunder-based Immortal techniques are especially effective against them.
• Because Shen Bing is below the Golden Immortal realm, he cannot open his Heavenly Eye naturally. Lu Ban says he must cultivate the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability, which is associated with Great Sage Sun and Thousand-Mile Eye Gao Jue.
• Shen Bing visits Sun Wukong, intending to ask for instruction, but Sun first asks him to recruit the remaining four of the Seven Great Sages. Shen Bing accepts, and the system combines the remaining quest stages into one task with a one-month deadline and a substantial reward.
• Wary that Sun might use a favor to reduce his quest reward, Shen Bing withholds his request and teleports away. Instead of immediately recruiting the Great Sages, he goes to Gao Jue’s palace.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing realizes his apparent immunity to Demon Souls may mean he has been exposed to attacks without noticing them. His next challenge is learning to see—and fight—them.
• Lu Ban is grateful that Shen Bing is willing to help obtain Demon Souls, though he doubts Shen Bing can safely enter the Netherworld.
• Sun Wukong is pleased that Shen Bing agrees to reunite the Seven Great Sages and promises him a major opportunity. Shen Bing remains suspicious of Sun’s way of bargaining, recalling that a previous favor cost him a reward.
• Sun assumes Shen Bing has left to begin the recruitment task and considers giving him a generous reward. Shen Bing, unaware of this, arrives at Gao Jue’s palace and calls him out as an old acquaintance.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Shen Bing’s resistance to soul attacks is not enough; he still needs the ability to perceive and counter the threat.
• Trust and self-interest: Shen Bing wants help from powerful allies but carefully guards against deals that could cost him.
• Rewards, quests, and deadlines: The system’s revised task raises the stakes while preserving the special reward and imposing a one-month deadline.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing visits Gao Jue, whom he once helped obtain an illusory rainbow immortal crystal, and asks to learn the basic Heavenly Eye Divine Ability. Gao Jue is surprised that Shen Bing claims not to be a Golden Immortal, but agrees to teach him if he obtains the eyes of a Hundred-Eyed Centipede for his unfinished Heaven-Peering Mirror.
• Shen Bing accepts the system quest and is transported directly to the Demon Realm rather than the Spirit Ruins, where Gao Jue said the creature might be found. Suspecting the system placed him near his target, Shen Bing searches by flying in expanding circles on his Skyflying Shuttle.
• He spots and pursues a train-sized centipede. Despite its speed and agility, Shen Bing defeats it in a difficult fight, relying on his strength and Diamond Body Divine Ability. The system reports that the centipede was at the true monster realm.
• Shen Bing takes the corpse and leaves quickly. Shortly afterward, the giant White Tiger he fought previously arrives at the scene. Back at Gao Jue’s home, Gao Jue is astonished that Shen Bing returned with the centipede so quickly and becomes even more convinced that Shen Bing has mysterious abilities.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident and pragmatic: he accepts the quest immediately, uses the Skyflying Shuttle to flush out his prey, and presses his advantage once the centipede is stunned. He is also wary of the Demon Realm and leaves rather than linger.
• Gao Jue is cautious about sharing his signature art, but Shen Bing’s past favor and apparent power persuade him to offer the manual in exchange for the centipede’s eyes. Shen Bing’s rapid return deepens Gao Jue’s respect and uncertainty about him.
• Their exchange is shaped by mutual wariness: Gao Jue worries about the karmic consequences of sharing secret techniques, while Shen Bing keeps his abilities and means of travel secret.
• The centipede speaks and fights back fiercely, but Shen Bing ignores its taunts and focuses on defeating it.

Significant themes

• Mystery and hidden power: Shen Bing’s unexplained transportation and strength make him appear increasingly formidable to Gao Jue.
• Exchange and obligation: Access to a divine ability is treated as something earned through a favor, reflecting the importance of karmic reciprocity.
• Cunning and persistence: Shen Bing compensates for the centipede’s elusiveness by forcing it to reveal itself, then exploits its moment of weakness.
• Danger beyond the immediate victory: The White Tiger’s arrival suggests that Shen Bing’s actions may have drawn the attention of powerful forces in the Demon Realm.