Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Apple launches the Apple 10, featuring its new iOS-i system. Its familiar interface and improved capabilities win back fans, and the launch is widely hailed as a major success.
• Apple executive Bedi believes Phantom Immortal Technology’s huge spending leaves it with little cash and that its upcoming phone will therefore be expensive. He is confident Apple can compete, even if Phantom’s device is better.
• Attention shifts to Phantom Immortal Technology’s own launch, scheduled an hour after Apple’s.
• Reporters arrive at the Phantom Immortal Tower and discover that its conference hall has been expanded to hold 10,000 people, with no central supports. Staff explain that the building’s modular structure can be reconfigured automatically.
• Chairman Shen Bing introduces the new Phantom Spirit phone. Its seamless, buttonless design appears as a flawless black slab, and Shen claims its intelligent system can think independently rather than simply respond to instructions.
• Shen praises the Apple 10 as successful but publicly declares it far inferior to Phantom Spirit, provoking a stunned and skeptical response from the audience.

Character developments and interactions

• Bedi is buoyed by Apple’s positive reception and sees the launch as proof that the company has regained its momentum. His confidence rests partly on assumptions about Phantom’s finances.
• Shen Bing presents himself as an ambitious, forceful rival. He moves from broad claims about what phones should become to a direct challenge against Apple.
• Reporters and attendees are impressed by the tower’s engineering and sound system, then grow eager for specific details about Phantom Spirit. Shen’s attack on Apple divides their enthusiasm with skepticism.

Significant themes

• Competition and confidence: Apple’s successful comeback sets the stage for a direct contest with Phantom Immortal Technology.
• The future of smartphones: Shen argues that phones should become companions, mentors, and assistants—not merely communication devices.
• Technology as spectacle: The tower, concert-quality acoustics, and phone design reinforce Phantom’s image as an exceptionally advanced company.
• Claims versus proof: Shen promises genuinely autonomous intelligence, but the audience has not yet seen evidence; his bold comparison with Apple raises expectations.

Plot and key events

• At a Phantom Immortal Technology launch, Shen Bing challenges Apple 10’s advertised 5,000-mAh battery, arguing it cannot reliably last a full day.
• He reveals the Phantom Spirit Phone has a 20,000-mAh battery. The audience jokes that the device may be a power bank.
• Shen explains that the phone has no charging port and relies entirely on wireless charging—a feature initially dismissed as impractical.
• He demonstrates the phone’s striking, bezel-free 3D Phantom Vision display, then asks its AI assistant, Doudou, to charge it.
• The audience sees a charging indicator and learns the phone is powered by a small wall-plug device paired with a module inside the phone. It can charge within 50 meters, through obstacles, and the AI can start charging automatically based on battery level and user habits.
• Online viewers respond with excitement, calling the technology revolutionary and praising it over Apple’s phone.
• A reporter raises concerns about radiation. Shen answers calmly that the system is safe and has radiation levels lower than the phone itself, citing government testing.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing initially appears dismissive and possibly arrogant, but his confident presentation shows that he has concrete innovations to support his claims. He anticipates skepticism and uses a live demonstration to win over the audience.
• Doudou, the phone’s AI assistant, demonstrates practical autonomy by responding to Shen’s command and managing charging.
• The audience shifts from doubt and mockery to astonishment and enthusiasm.
• Shen treats the reporter’s safety question respectfully, reinforcing his composure and willingness to address public concerns.

Significant themes

• Innovation versus conventional expectations: Wireless charging is widely regarded as inconvenient until Shen reveals its unprecedented range and automation.
• Demonstration as persuasion: Shen turns disbelief into excitement by showing the technology in action.
• Convenience and dependence on technology: Automatic charging promises ease but also prompts jokes that users may spend even more time on their phones.
• Public trust and safety: Shen recognizes that impressive technology must also answer concerns about its effects.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing reassures the audience that Phantom Immortal Technology’s wireless charging is safe and claims it is more energy-efficient than wired charging, inviting anyone to test its radiation levels.
• He says the Phantom Spirit Phone’s camera can outperform professional DSLRs, then demonstrates by asking its AI assistant, Qiuqiu, to photograph a woman in the back row. The phone rapidly finds her and displays a remarkably realistic, high-quality image on the venue’s giant screen.
• The demonstration astonishes the audience and unsettles the photographers present. Shen Bing reassures them that the phone will make photography more accessible and expand the audience for skilled photographers, while arguing that artistic judgment remains a human strength.
• When asked where the cameras are, Shen reveals that the front camera is hidden beneath the display and the rear camera behind one-way glass.
• He begins introducing the phone’s processor: “Spirit,” an independently developed AI chip designed to work seamlessly with the company’s artificial-intelligence operating system.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing presents himself as confident and persuasive, using demonstrations—not just claims—to promote his company’s technology. He also shows tact by addressing photographers’ concerns and reframing the phone as an opportunity for them.
• The audience moves from skepticism about replacing DSLRs to amazement at the phone’s performance. Its members also speculate about the woman Shen calls a “beauty.”
• The woman in the audience is startled to be singled out, especially since her Aviator sunglasses are meant to disguise her.
• Photographers initially feel threatened by the demonstration, but Shen’s argument that wider access will grow demand for artistic expertise reassures and excites them.
• Qiuqiu, the phone’s AI assistant, follows Shen’s spoken command and performs the impressive camera demonstration.

Significant themes

• Technological disruption: The phone challenges both professional cameras and photography based on technical skill.
• Human creativity versus AI: Shen argues that AI can master technical execution, but artistic vision remains distinctively human.
• Trust and proof: Shen’s reputation supports his claims, while the live demonstration gives the audience direct evidence.
• Accessibility and changing livelihoods: Making advanced photography available to more people could expand the field, though it may disadvantage those whose work relies mainly on technical competence.
• Corporate ambition: The concealed cameras and proprietary AI chip reinforce the impression that Phantom Immortal Technology is pursuing sweeping technological independence and innovation.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing reveals that the Phantom Spirit Phone’s “Spirit” chip uses room-temperature superconducting material, avoiding the heat bottleneck that limits conventional processors. The audience realizes Phantom Immortal Technology has entered the chip business—and likely has a successful product already.
• He says the phone’s screen uses Phantom Vision Display technology, including a 3D image-processing chip, and jokes that it delivers a television-like visual experience in a smaller format.
• Shen Bing hints at other features, including waterproofing, while joking that people can test the phone’s durability—though he advises against dropping it and damaging the scenery.
• During the price announcement, Shen Bing teases the audience with a deliberately sales-pitch-like joke, then asks what Apple’s latest phone costs. He sets the standard Phantom Spirit Phone’s price at 7,000 yuan, just one yuan above the figure a reporter suggests for Apple’s phone.
• The audience considers the standard model extraordinarily cheap given its advanced features. Many interpret Shen Bing’s pricing and pointed question as a deliberate challenge to Apple.
• In response to a reporter’s questions, Shen Bing confirms that the standard model includes all the announced technologies. He then introduces a luxury model with 256 GB of storage and wireless charging at up to 200 meters, priced at 59,999 yuan—a steep jump that leaves the audience puzzled.

Character developments

• Shen Bing comes across as technically confident, playful, and provocative. Rather than explain every specification, he trusts the product to speak for itself, and uses jokes and pricing to needle Apple.
• The reporters and audience shift from amazement at the technology to astonishment at the price. Their reactions reveal their growing belief that Shen Bing’s products are credible and could disrupt established industries.

Significant themes

• Technological disruption: Room-temperature superconductors and advanced display and charging systems threaten to outclass existing phone technology.
• Confidence backed by results: Shen Bing’s reputation makes people assume that anything he unveils is already a working success.
• Business as competition: The standard phone’s pricing frames the launch as a direct challenge to Apple and illustrates how innovation and price can reshape market expectations.
• Spectacle and humor: Shen Bing’s teasing presentation style turns a product launch into entertainment while keeping the audience guessing.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing plays off the audience’s expectations with jokes about features and price, provoking laughter and exasperation.
• A reporter, Long Yunchang, asks whether the standard model includes all the announced technologies and whether a more expensive version is available; Shen Bing answers with the luxury model’s specifications and price.
• By asking about Apple’s price and setting his own phone at 7,000 yuan, Shen Bing invites the audience to compare the two companies—and signals his antagonism toward Apple.

Key plot points

• Shen Bing reveals that the Phantom Spirit Phone’s deluxe version comes in twelve colors, while the cheaper standard version is available only in space gray. The color choice makes the premium version appealing to wealthy buyers who want a distinctive status symbol, helping justify its steep price.
• A Korean reporter accuses Phantom Immortal Technology of gouging wealthy customers. Shen Bing counters that the deluxe phone is priced only slightly above production cost, while the standard model is sold cheaply so everyone can benefit from advanced technology.
• Shen Bing retaliates by announcing that the standard model will not be sold in Korea for the time being. Korean customers who want the phone will have to buy the deluxe version, leaving the reporter horrified at the consequences of his provocation.
• After the launch, Apple executives fear the Phantom Spirit Phone will overshadow the newly announced Apple 10. Apple must choose between accepting a likely defeat or cutting prices and risking public humiliation. Its executives hope the phone’s real-world performance may prove weaker than its demonstrations suggest.
• Samsung sees some relief because the standard model will be unavailable in Korea, but worries that Shen Bing might also use Cancer Cure No. 1 as leverage. Chinese phone makers are less alarmed because the Phantom Spirit Phone’s price occupies a different market segment from most domestic devices.

Character development and interactions

• Shen Bing displays sharp commercial instincts: he turns a seemingly trivial color distinction into a luxury selling point, then calmly uses the reporter’s challenge to justify restricting Korean sales of the standard model. His response reveals both confidence and a willingness to retaliate.
• Wang Sheng is briefly surprised by Shen Bing’s pricing but trusts that his boss has a plan.
• The Korean reporter goes from attempting to provoke Shen Bing to panicking over the fallout. He fears public blame in Korea and worries Shen Bing may jeopardize access to the cancer treatment.
• Apple’s Bedi and executives shift from confidence in their technology to fear and uncertainty, clinging to the hope that the Phantom Spirit Phone has hidden performance flaws.
• Samsung’s executives feel both relief and anxiety, while domestic manufacturers remain comparatively composed.

Significant themes

• Luxury and status: Color becomes a means of distinction, showing how wealthy consumers may pay far more for preference and prestige.
• Technology and market disruption: The Phantom Spirit Phone’s capabilities threaten established high-end competitors and challenge Apple’s dominance.
• Power and retaliation: Shen Bing uses the company’s technological and commercial influence to punish a hostile reporter and pressure the Korean market.
• Unequal market impact: The launch threatens companies differently depending on their target customers, reputation, and dependence on Phantom Immortal Technology’s other products.

Key plot points and events

• The Phantom Spirit Phone’s high price is unlikely to deter affluent consumers, including some who may switch from established domestic brands to Phantom Immortal Technology.
• Huawei and other phone makers accept that they cannot match Phantom Immortal Technology’s breakthrough technology for now. Their best strategy is to avoid direct competition and focus on midrange, budget, and overseas markets—potentially using a good relationship with Shen Bing’s company to gain access to simplified versions of its technology.
• The camera industry faces an even graver threat: the Phantom Spirit Phone’s capabilities appear poised to make conventional cameras obsolete, leaving major manufacturers such as Nikon and Canon alarmed.
• The phone’s launch triggers sharp falls in stocks tied to phones, cameras, and chips. Intel, Texas Instruments, and other electronics companies are hit especially hard, contributing to a global market downturn and nearly a trillion dollars in losses across affected industries. Investors are unsettled partly because Phantom Immortal Technology is privately held, so no one can profit by buying its shares.
• Meanwhile, ordinary consumers—especially in Huaxia—celebrate the phone’s imminent public release. People in several major cities head to experience stores after work to queue overnight for the next day’s launch.

Character and relationship developments

• Shen Bing is not an active participant in the chapter’s events, but his reputation shapes corporate responses: domestic companies see him as friendly toward local firms, while foreign competitors fear the disruption his company represents.
• Huawei’s executives shift from hoping to catch up to accepting that strategic repositioning is more realistic.
• Consumers show growing enthusiasm for Phantom Immortal products, with the earlier demand for the Phantom Vision TV encouraging people to expect long queues for the phone.

Significant themes

• Disruptive innovation: One company’s technological leap threatens established phone, camera, and chip industries.
• Adaptation over direct competition: Traditional manufacturers must find defensible markets and partnerships rather than challenge a dominant rival head-on.
• National pride and commercial opportunity: Huaxia consumers celebrate a domestic breakthrough, while local manufacturers imagine its technology helping them compete globally.
• Uneven consequences of progress: Consumers experience excitement and anticipation, while corporations and investors face fear, losses, and uncertainty.

Key events

• Massive overnight queues form outside nearly all Phantom Immortal Technology stores across Huaxia for the new Phantom Spirit Phone. The crowds include ordinary buyers and scalpers hoping to exploit limited supply.
• Customers worry the phones will sell out before they reach the front. In a conversation outside the Rongcheng store, one man explains that scalping is driven by scarcity and demand, while another argues the company should prevent resellers from taking advantage of buyers.
• Apple’s upcoming iPhone 10 launch draws noticeably less excitement than in previous years, though it still retains a loyal customer base.
• Wang Sheng calls Shen Bing with alarming sales projections: the company’s two million phones could largely sell out on launch day. Reports show an average of more than 500 people waiting at each store, potentially accounting for about 1.5 million sales as soon as stores open.
• Shen Bing decides the company should discourage scalping—not because it threatens sales, but because ordinary customers may be unable to get phones promptly or may have to pay inflated prices.
• Wang Sheng proposes real-name, one-per-person purchasing. Shen Bing rejects mandatory in-person use as too restrictive for gift buyers and devises an alternative: activate phones at purchase, with a two-hour window for gift recipients to reactivate them. If they do not, the phone remains bound to the purchaser’s identity; unbinding will not be available for a month.

Character developments and interactions

• The two men in the Rongcheng queue move from surprise and frustration to recognizing that some of the crowd consists of opportunistic resellers. Their exchange frames scalping as a consequence of supply-and-demand imbalance.
• Wang Sheng is excited by the phone’s unprecedented popularity but concerned that sales will exhaust stock immediately. He consults Shen Bing rather than acting unilaterally.
• Shen Bing shows concern for customers and the company’s public image, balancing anti-scalping measures with the convenience of people buying gifts. His activation proposal reflects a practical, inventive approach.

Significant themes

• Supply, demand, and profiteering: The chapter presents scalping as difficult to eliminate while demand outstrips supply.
• Innovation and consumer expectations: The Phantom Spirit Phone’s generational leap gives even recent phone buyers a reason to upgrade, setting it apart from incremental competitors.
• Customer access versus commercial success: Strong demand benefits the company, but Shen Bing prioritizes fair access and protecting customers from inflated resale prices.
• Changing market fortunes: Apple remains prominent, yet the contrast in launch-day enthusiasm suggests its dominance may be weakening.

Key plot points and events

• To curb scalping, Phantom Immortal Technology limits each newly purchased Phantom Spirit Phone to a two-hour window for binding it to a user. Once bound, it cannot be resold until it is unbound a month later, making quick markups difficult.
• Shen Bing directs the company to announce the rule and create a real-name online reservation system for store queues, so customers can claim numbered purchase slots instead of waiting overnight.
• The notices go up quickly, catching scalpers who have already lined up by surprise. They scramble to find buyers in advance, and some even sell or buy customer contacts to arrange orders.
• The reservation module then appears across devices running the Dragon Scale System, regardless of phone brand. Customers rush to claim limited slots: some succeed and leave happily, while others miss out and resolve to try another day.
• Scalpers who promised customers phones but failed to secure reservations are left with damaged credibility. Many abandon the scheme, while the few who persist must compete with ordinary buyers for slots.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing acts decisively and pragmatically, balancing anti-scalping measures with customer convenience.
• Wang Sheng supports her proposals and quickly organizes their implementation.
• Scalpers shift from confident profiteers to anxious speculators. Experienced sellers call their contacts; newcomers seek to buy access to those networks. Some ordinary customers, meanwhile, welcome the new system and mock the scalpers’ predicament.

Significant themes

• Technology and regulation: The company uses binding rules, real-name reservations, and system-wide software updates to reshape the market.
• Fair access versus profiteering: Measures intended to reduce resale premiums give ordinary customers a better chance of buying phones.
• Adaptability and risk: Scalpers’ quick schemes prove vulnerable to sudden policy changes, while consumers adapt by reserving slots.
• Convenience and unintended consequences: Online queues spare customers from overnight waits, but limited reservations still leave some disappointed.

Plot points and events

• Online discussion around Phantom Immortal Technology’s Phantom Spirit Phone intensifies. While skeptics question its unproven quality and accuse the company of manufacturing hype, supporters point to its strong track record and argue it has no need to fake demand.
• The phone’s domestic production is presented as a major national achievement, with observers viewing the contest with Apple as a broader test of technological strength between Huaxia and the United States.
• Apple 10 sales begin in Japan first because of the time difference. The phone remains popular and its lower-than-expected price attracts buyers, but sales are roughly half those of previous launches. Many consumers wait to see how the Phantom Spirit Phone performs.
• At nine o’clock, Phantom Immortal Technology stores across Huaxia open simultaneously. Crowds arrive to buy reserved phones or try the devices, especially in Rongcheng, where the company and Shen Bing have local ties.
• Customers test the phone’s AI and gaming performance. The experience convinces them that its standout feature is not merely its specifications, but the unusually personal, connected feel of its Dragon Scale system. The chapter ends as users find that demanding games run smoothly at maximum settings.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains the public face and creator of the phone’s distinctive recognition feature, though he does not appear directly. His reputation and the company’s past products shape public confidence.
• Consumers move from online speculation to firsthand testing. Their concerns about performance fade as they experience the phone themselves.
• Store staff manage the crowds and enforce three-minute demo limits. A sales assistant jokingly tells customers they must ask Shen Bing himself for more time, underscoring both the demand and the phone’s creator-centered mystique.
• Apple executives are discouraged by weak early sales, despite having expected competition from the Phantom Spirit Phone.

Significant themes

• Experience versus specifications: The phone’s intuitive, almost human-feeling AI matters more to users than its undisclosed technical details.
• National technological rivalry: The launch is framed as a contest involving not only companies but also their countries’ technological standing.
• Reputation and trust: Phantom Immortal Technology’s previous successes help counter rumors that its demand is artificial.
• Anticipation and uncertainty: Consumers and competitors alike wait for real-world reviews to determine whether the Phantom Spirit Phone can displace Apple’s lead.

Key plot points and events

• The Phantom Spirit Phone’s users post footage showing mainstream mobile games with astonishing, near-4K visuals. Online commentators conclude that the phone uses powerful proprietary processing to enhance games independently of the games themselves, and they identify its Ling-series CPU and GPU as a major technological breakthrough.
• The phone’s success highlights Phantom Immortal Technology’s wider importance: alongside the Dragon Scale operating system, its chips give Huaxia domestic alternatives to foreign-controlled foundations of computing and cybersecurity. Foreign governments, including the United States, avoid confronting the company, wary of its other technological advantages.
• Demand overwhelms supply. By noon, sales have topped one million; roughly three thousand stores sell through their stock, and the company’s entire two-million-phone inventory is gone by the end of the day. The unprecedented sales reflect stock shortages rather than a limit to demand.
• Apple’s new Apple 10 sells only about 500,000 units across markets open that day—less than a tenth of the previous model’s sales in Huaxia. Apple’s executives recognize that they have suffered a defeat comparable to Nokia’s decline after a disruptive competitor emerged.

Character and group developments

• Phantom Immortal Technology’s achievements shift from impressive demonstrations to a clear challenge to established global tech firms and national dependencies.
• Shen Bing is portrayed as having underestimated the phone’s appeal; even its creator did not anticipate the scale of demand.
• Apple’s executives move from confidence and a major product launch to shock and helplessness.

Significant themes

• Technological independence and national strength: Domestic chips and operating systems are framed as essential to moving Huaxia from a large internet market to a genuinely powerful one.
• Disruption and obsolescence: A breakthrough product can rapidly upend established industries, as Apple now experiences the fate associated with Nokia.
• Demand versus supply: The phone’s sales record is constrained by limited stock and checkout capacity, emphasizing how extraordinary its popularity is.
• Powerlessness in the face of change: The chapter’s central idea is that competitors and governments can see the tide turning but lack the ability to stop it.

Character interactions

• Phone users share gameplay clips and debate whether they are real, while tech commentators analyze the footage and credit Phantom Immortal Technology’s hardware.
• Foreign governments remain silent rather than challenge the company, reflecting the changed balance of power.
• Apple’s executives confront the implications of the Phantom Spirit Phone’s success and compare their position to Nokia’s earlier predicament.

Plot and key events

• Apple’s executives react to the Phantom Spirit Phone’s unexpectedly strong performance. They had hoped its advanced features would be undermined by weak hardware, but its capabilities exceed what Apple can currently produce.
• Chairman Bedi considers a price cut, but Ted argues that Apple should wait: the Phantom Spirit Phone is selling faster than Phantom Immortal Technology can manufacture it, leaving Apple time to compete elsewhere. Bedi agrees to hold prices for now.
• Kasimi proposes getting government help or sabotaging Phantom Immortal Technology by creating a safety scare around the phone’s large battery. Bedi rejects these ideas, warning that the company’s past success in exposing a deliberate attack—and its powerful position—make dirty tricks risky.
• Apple 10 launches in the United States and sells well there, but many buyers still regard it as inferior to the Phantom Spirit Phone. Americans resent being unable to buy the rival phone, blaming earlier U.S. political hostility toward Phantom Immortal Technology.
• At Phantom Immortal Tower, Shen Bing, Wang Sheng, and mobile-phone division manager Li Rong review sales. Both factories are at full capacity, producing 100,000 phones a day—far short of projected demand from roughly 30 million domestic customers who can afford the device.

Character development and interactions

• Bedi shifts from alarm to cautious restraint. Though he fears Apple’s decline, he recognizes that provoking Phantom Immortal Technology could have serious consequences.
• Ted offers the most practical response: preserve Apple’s pricing and use the competitor’s production bottleneck to buy time.
• Kasimi advocates increasingly reckless solutions, first political intervention and then a staged safety crisis. The other executives dismiss him, and Bedi firmly warns him off.
• Li Rong is thrilled by the phone’s sales but also anxious about the limits of production. Shen Bing immediately grasps the scale of the supply problem.

Significant themes

• Technological disruption: The Phantom Spirit Phone’s superior performance threatens Apple beyond what sales figures alone can show.
• Supply versus demand: Phantom Immortal Technology’s limited capacity creates a temporary opening for Apple, even as it signals enormous consumer demand.
• Ethics and power in competition: Apple’s executives consider underhanded tactics but fear the reputational and practical consequences of challenging a formidable rival.
• Political fallout: U.S. consumers’ frustration illustrates how earlier government decisions can harm the public and domestic market.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology is producing about 100,000 Phantom Spirit Phones a day, far below demand. Shen Bing acknowledges that the shortage will cost sales and give Apple an opening, but treats that as a temporary concession.
• Shen Bing’s longer-term strategy is to let Apple deepen its reliance on Phantom Immortal Technology’s AI system. This could give him leverage over American business leaders and, indirectly, U.S. policy—though he keeps this motive known only to a select few.
• A Shanghai production base is expected to add 50,000 phones per day, with its output reserved for overseas markets. The managers discuss expanding manufacturing, but Shen Bing chooses to concentrate development on Great Gold Island, where he claims land reclamation will be unusually fast.
• The first day’s sales put phones in the hands of more than two million users. With future supply limited, online speculation spreads and buyers begin offering large premiums to obtain one.
• Resale prices rise from a few thousand yuan above retail to more than 10,000 yuan extra, with listings reaching 17,000 yuan. Despite the windfall, few owners are willing to sell because the phones remain so scarce and desirable.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing appears calm and strategic: he accepts short-term lost sales in pursuit of longer-term leverage over Apple and the United States. He also confidently backs Great Gold Island as the best route to rapid expansion.
• Wang Sheng understands the deeper Apple strategy and supports Shen Bing, while raising practical concerns about factory space, investment, and the urgent production shortfall.
• Li Rong initially struggles to understand Shen Bing’s apparent leniency toward Apple and doubts that reclaimed land can provide factory space quickly. Wang Sheng’s understanding helps clarify the strategy; Li Rong’s skepticism is later overturned by events.
• The managers jointly consider how to handle shortages, while online buyers and sellers form a separate, rapidly growing resale market.

Significant themes

• Shortage and demand: Limited supply turns the phone into a coveted status symbol and drives resale prices sharply upward.
• Strategic patience and leverage: Shen Bing is willing to tolerate Apple’s temporary sales advantage to build a stronger position through its dependence on his company’s technology.
• Rules versus market behavior: Purchase and transfer restrictions limit scalping but cannot eliminate resale when scarcity makes buyers and sellers willing to adapt.
• Technological and national power: Shen Bing’s business decisions are tied to broader geopolitical aims, especially preventing foreign pressure on his company.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology announces the July 5 flash sale: phones go on sale at 8 a.m., but each store receives very few. Rongcheng gets 100, including only three Luxury Versions; Qingyuan City gets just 20.
• Scarcity drives resale offers sharply upward. Buyers offer as much as 200,000 yuan for a Luxury Version, turning the scramble into a chance for ordinary purchasers to make a large profit.
• Online critics accuse the company of manufacturing hype or disrupting the market, but their objections are overwhelmed by public enthusiasm. Streamers who had promised to dismantle the phone fall silent because none has managed to obtain one.
• The next morning, crowds gather outside the experience stores both to try the phone and to compete for purchase slots. The sale itself lasts only a second, after which eager buyers and prospective resellers fill the area. Staff quickly restore order.
• The narrative then shifts to Great Gold Island: its smelting and machinery plants are operating, processing incoming ore into advanced alloys and components. Large metal boxes are assembled into a new, artificial expanse of “land.”

Character developments and interactions

• The chapter focuses more on collective public behavior than on individual characters. Ordinary buyers are swept up by the prospect of owning or reselling a phone, while wealthy buyers compete for the Luxury Version.
• Critics and celebrities lose influence against the public’s enthusiasm; streamers who had boasted about dismantling the device are embarrassed by their inability to obtain one.
• Store staff maintain authority over the crowds: even intimidating customers comply when the staff call for order.
• Phantom Immortal Technology remains aloof from influencers and publicity stunts, relying instead on the phone’s reputation and perceived technological superiority.

Significant themes

• Scarcity and speculation: Limited supply transforms the phone into both a coveted product and a potential windfall.
• Technology and reputation: The company’s success is portrayed as resting on product quality rather than conventional advertising or celebrity endorsements.
• Public frenzy and conformity: Excitement spreads quickly, while dissenting voices and individual boasts are drowned out.
• Industrial ambition: Great Gold Island’s manufacturing operation suggests a much larger project underway, with advanced materials and machinery being used to construct new land.

Plot points and events

• Great Gold Island is rapidly expanding with prefabricated “Construction Units,” allowing factories to be built and begin operating without waiting for the ground to settle. Wei Changjia expects the next factories to be ready within ten days.
• Phantom Immortal Technology announces international sales of the Phantom Spirit Phone. The United States is excluded, while Korea will receive only the luxury model. Though overseas customers complain about high prices and tiny daily allocations, phones sell out immediately and resellers charge steep markups. The global phone market suffers as consumers wait for Phantom Spirit Phones.
• Wang Sheng handles the business developments, while Shen Bing remains confident in the product and returns to the Gate to the Immortal Realm.
• Shen Bing’s first Most Sacred Spirit Bone reaches its full capacity of one million units of wish power. He decides to use it for the main quest, No Road to the Yellow Springs, rather than to strengthen himself.
• After paying 10,000 immortal jade—equivalent to a huge real-world expense—to teleport the charged bone back into the game, Shen Bing’s character acts seemingly on its own. It travels to the Sea of Rebirth and smashes the bone, releasing golden light that dissolves more than a tenth of the sea’s layer of dead bones.
• Shen Bing estimates that about six fully charged bones will be needed to clear the Sea of Rebirth and complete this quest stage. He accepts the cost, expecting the larger Explore Hell quest to provide a reward, and resumes searching for more bones.
• The chapter ends when a cat calls to Shen Bing: Feifei has woken up.

Character developments and interactions

• Wei Changjia appears determined and confident about Great Gold Island’s expansion.
• Shen Bing shows strategic restraint: he prioritizes the main quest over a modest personal power boost and accepts a costly investment to make progress. He also notices that the game may be increasingly responsive to his thoughts as his real-world strength grows.
• Wang Sheng is entrusted with managing the phone launch, while Shen Bing stays detached from the commercial turmoil.
• Shen Bing’s cat interrupts his search to report that Feifei is awake, setting up a likely shift in focus.

Significant themes

• Rapid industrial growth and secrecy: Great Gold Island’s modular construction enables swift, discreet expansion.
• Scarcity and consumer demand: Limited phone supplies frustrate customers but do not diminish demand, exposing the gap between public complaints and actual behavior.
• Costly progress and long-term priorities: Shen Bing spends immense resources on quest advancement, confident that the investment serves a larger goal.
• Blurring boundaries between player and game: Shen Bing’s character seems to act in response to his thoughts, hinting at a deeper connection between his consciousness and the Gate to the Immortal Realm.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing learns that Feifei has awakened after a long unconscious period and goes to investigate.
• Inside a sealed room, he finds the once-small cat transformed into a huge, tiger-like creature. Feifei alternates between meows and deep roars and appears aggressive and confused. The floor is covered in Spirit Water, whose spiritual energy Feifei has absorbed.
• Little Doudou cannot communicate with Feifei, but believes the transformation succeeded because Feifei is alive and its vital signs are stable. Shen Bing suspects the process may be incomplete and decides Feifei must remain confined for everyone’s safety.
• Lu Xian is released from the room and explains that Feifei woke early that morning, absorbed spiritual energy rapidly, became emotionally unstable, and then grew enormously.
• Lu Xian has collected 131 blood samples from Feifei and sent them to Clarence in the Genetic Research Zone. Shen Bing heads there to learn whether the samples have been analyzed.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shifts from surprise and concern to practical caution, keeping Feifei contained while seeking a cure or explanation. He also recognizes the transformation as a valuable opportunity for biological research.
• Little Doudou is worried and emotionally invested in Feifei, though he has no clear knowledge of the demon-transformation process. He asks Shen Bing to seek help in the Immortal Realm.
• Lu Xian proves calm and observant under pressure, having monitored Feifei and collected extensive samples. He escapes the sealed room by shrinking to pass through its observation hole.
• Clarence is introduced while supervising a collaborative research project on biological inheritance in a simulated ecosystem.

Significant themes

• Transformation and uncertainty: Feifei’s change may be successful, but its mental and behavioral effects remain unknown.
• Safety versus attachment: Shen Bing wants to help a familiar companion, yet must protect others from Feifei’s dangerous, uncontrolled state.
• Scientific opportunity: A frightening event may offer insights into genetic evolution, linking personal concern with the Underground Base’s research ambitions.

Chapter summary

• The blood samples show dramatic physical changes. Clarence tells Shen Bing that a series of samples revealed gradual genetic changes that greatly strengthened bones, muscles, and fascia. The final sample suggests muscle strength more than fifty times normal. However, the researchers cannot identify what triggers the changes, exposing the limits of their current technology. Clarence has preserved the samples for future study, and Shen Bing expects a breakthrough soon.
• The deep-sea fishing effort makes progress. Bernie returns with ten Mariana lionfish, whose oil can provide twenty doses of the brain-development medicine. Shen Bing initially considers the catch slow, but accepts that it is impressive given the fish’s depth and scarcity. More submarines are expected to increase output.
• Shen Bing relaxes in his garden. He tends the rapidly growing weeds beneath the Immortal Peach Tree, whose dense canopy provides remarkable shade despite the summer heat. Gardening and resting offer him a welcome break from his responsibilities.
• A new concern arises among the sparrows. While thinking about a promise to Little Doudou concerning Feifei, Shen Bing notices that the three young sparrows in the peach tree have grown quickly and seem unusually “majestic.” Worrying they may also become demons, he fears that unlike Feifei, they may be impossible to control or communicate with—and could threaten people if they turn aggressive. He resolves to find a solution.

Character developments and interactions

Shen Bing is impressed by the research findings but frustrated by the lack of an explanation. He also shows practical judgment about the lionfish operation, adjusting his expectations once Clarence explains the difficulty. In private, he enjoys ordinary comforts but remains alert to potential dangers around him. Clarence is enthusiastic about the discoveries and the fishing success, while openly acknowledging scientific uncertainty. Shen Bing’s concern for the sparrows contrasts with his confidence that Feifei will remain close because of its bond with Little Doudou.

Significant themes

The chapter highlights the limits of scientific understanding, alongside the promise of future breakthroughs; the logistical challenges behind technological progress; and the tension between extraordinary power and responsibility. Shen Bing’s peaceful garden retreat also underscores the value of rest, while the sparrows’ possible transformation foreshadows the risks of unpredictable supernatural change.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing is interrupted at home by a visitor: actress Cheng Yixue. His AI assistant, Doudou, identifies her, and Shen Bing reluctantly goes to the door.
• He initially pretends not to recognize her and tries to discourage her from coming inside, citing the awkwardness of being alone with a woman.
• Cheng explains that she came to thank him for saving her during her kidnapping. She had been unconscious when she was rescued, but later connected Shen Bing to the rescue because he recovered the stolen Azure Heart Diamond on the same day.
• Shen first denies knowing anything, then admits that he arranged the rescue, making Cheng promise to keep the details secret because they could cause an international dispute.
• When Cheng asks how he rescued her, Shen quickly clarifies that he sent someone else, anxious to avoid implying that he personally handled her while she was unconscious. Cheng notices his eagerness to defend himself and teases him.
• Shen tries to end the visit, feeling outmatched by Cheng’s playful manner.

Character developments

• Shen Bing remains confident and capable, but his discomfort around Cheng exposes his awkwardness and low emotional intelligence. He tries to conceal his past involvement while carefully managing what she learns.
• Cheng Yixue shows initiative and perceptiveness: she investigates the rescue, draws her own conclusions, and confronts Shen directly. Her gratitude is mixed with playful teasing and growing romantic interest.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and reputation: Shen weighs the danger of revealing the rescue, particularly its potential political consequences.
• Public image versus private awkwardness: Shen’s impressive status contrasts with his clumsy attempts to handle an unexpected personal encounter.
• Gratitude and attraction: Cheng’s desire to thank her rescuer also carries the excitement of a romantic, fairy-tale interpretation of the event.

Character interactions

• Shen and Doudou: Doudou identifies the visitor and jokes about her, prompting Shen’s reluctant response.
• Shen and Cheng: Their conversation becomes a playful contest: Shen deflects and tries to send her away, while Cheng presses him with evidence and teases him about his nervous denials.

Plot and key events

• Cheng Yixue visits Shen Bing to thank him for saving her. She explains that she only recently discovered he was responsible, after piecing together clues from Cameron and Vice Mayor Qiao.
• She asks Shen for a copy of a photo he took of her at the Phantom Spirit Phone launch. He agrees, though neither of them exchanges contact details; Shen implies he can send it through his access to online information.
• After she leaves, Shen asks Doudou how she entered the residential compound. Doudou discovers that Cheng lives there too, leaving Shen surprised but resigned.
• The Phantom Spirit Phone remains in overwhelming demand: the daily supply sells out quickly, while queues at the company’s experience stores stay constant. Customers also buy the expensive Spirit Vision Telescope after trying it.
• Phantom Immortal Technology slightly increases phone allocations to its stores, signaling improved production. Consumers welcome the news, since the company has previously kept other popular products in short supply.
• Apple’s new Apple 10 struggles against the Phantom Spirit Phone. Although both brands sell substantial numbers, Apple’s units are accumulating in warehouses, and the model has sold only just over one million after four days.
• Facing unsold inventory and a growing risk that customers will wait for the Phantom Spirit Phone, Apple cuts the Apple 10’s price from 6,999 to 4,999 yuan in China, with corresponding cuts abroad. The decision sparks widespread media coverage and speculation about Apple’s declining position.

Character developments and interactions

• Cheng Yixue shows gratitude and tact, using humor and gentle persistence to secure Shen’s promise to send her the photo. She briefly feels attracted to him but conceals it.
• Shen Bing remains busy and emotionally difficult to read. He agrees to her request but is wary of the unexpected visit; once he learns Cheng is his neighbor, he decides not to interfere.
• Doudou provides Shen with the explanation about Cheng’s residence.
• Apple’s executives move from hoping limited supply will protect their sales to reluctantly accepting a major price cut.

Significant themes

• Unavoidable choices: Apple’s price reduction is portrayed as a forced response to competition and excess inventory.
• Technological disruption and market power: Phantom Immortal Technology’s products reshape consumer expectations and threaten an established industry leader.
• Scarcity and consumer desire: Limited availability drives queues, resale premiums, and the prestige of owning a Phantom Spirit Phone.
• Personal gratitude amid business upheaval: Cheng’s quiet visit contrasts with the large-scale commercial rivalry unfolding around Shen’s company.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology’s Phantom Spirit Phone has displaced Apple from the premium market, forcing Apple to compete with other manufacturers. The industry is unsure whether Phantom Immortal can sustain Apple-like profits, though Shen Bing keeps its unusually low manufacturing costs and in-house technology secret.
• During a stay at Dragon Lake Ring Island, Shen Bing obtains twenty Most Sacred Spirit Bones and completes a minor quest, bringing him closer to a system upgrade. His main quest remains difficult: he must fill six Spirit Bones with wish power.
• Shen Bing still cannot find a solution to Feifei’s situation. The Plague God and Doudou are stumped, and Sun Wukong is absent when Shen visits Mount Huaguo. Shen plans to consult him first, then Lord Lao if necessary.
• Cancer Cure No. 1 has treated Huaxia’s most critically ill cancer patients. Shen now plans to make the medicine available abroad, both to help more people and to increase its diplomatic influence and the wish power he can collect.
• On June 8, Shen attends an important meeting after Huawei, Xiaomi, and Vivo request cooperation. Their leaders want access to Phantom Immortal’s phone technologies, which they see as too powerful to challenge directly.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen remains focused on both business and his system quests, but Feifei’s unresolved condition continues to trouble him. He is selective about meetings, attending this one because it could have major strategic consequences.
• The Plague God and Doudou cannot help Shen with Feifei; Sun Wukong is unavailable, leaving Lord Lao as a possible next source of advice.
• Shen works with company staff, including Yan Lexuan, to arrange talks with the phone makers. The visiting delegations are led by senior decision-makers: Huawei chairman Liang Hua, Xiaomi’s Lei Jun, and executives from Vivo and the three companies’ phone divisions.

Significant themes

• Market disruption and power: Phantom Immortal’s technology reshapes the phone industry and threatens established business models.
• Secrecy and control: Shen keeps the company’s costs and finances private, preserving a competitive advantage.
• Technology as diplomacy: Cancer Cure No. 1 is both a medical breakthrough and a tool for extending national influence.
• Personal goals amid public impact: Shen’s quest for wish power overlaps with efforts that benefit patients, while his concern for Feifei remains a private, unresolved burden.

Key plot points

• Executives from Huawei, Xiaomi, and Vivo meet at Illusion Immortal Technology Company to seek cooperation, hoping for licenses to advanced technology or supplies of key components. Apple’s price cuts have intensified competition and raised fears that it could dominate the domestic market.
• Shen Bing arrives with Chen Wanhua and Li Rong. He greets the executives by name, impressing them with his apparent knowledge of the industry.
• After brief introductions and banter, Shen Bing asks the visitors to explain their cooperation proposals. Lei Jun speaks first, arguing that Huaxia’s device makers remain dependent on foreign components, patents, and standards despite their market success.
• Lei Jun suggests that Phantom Immortal Technology use the Phantom Spirit Phone as the basis for standards governing AI phones, which could give it influence—and substantial revenue—across the industry.
• Shen Bing rejects the idea, saying Phantom Immortal Technology is focused on technology, not setting standards.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing presents himself as confident, informed, and direct. His refusal to establish standards shows that he does not seek the conventional forms of industry power.
• Lei Jun demonstrates strategic insight by framing cooperation around the broader problem of domestic technological dependence and proposing a standards-based solution.
• Li Rong acknowledges that Jinli Group’s bankruptcy was painful, but says his role at Phantom Immortal Technology has brought him closer to professional success.
• Liang Hua and the other executives are cautious and somewhat uneasy about negotiating alongside rivals. They are impressed by Shen Bing’s attention to the industry and surprised by his position on standards.
• The executives exchange respectful, lightly self-deprecating banter, while Shen Bing steers the conversation quickly toward business.

Significant themes

• Technological independence: Domestic companies may lead in sales yet remain dependent on foreign chips, screens, cameras, patents, and standards.
• Technology versus market control: Lei Jun sees standards as a powerful way to shape an emerging industry; Shen Bing regards technology itself as the priority.
• Competition amid cooperation: The companies seek help from Phantom Immortal Technology while remaining rivals—and fear Apple could exploit their shared market pressures.
• Ambition and professional fulfillment: Li Rong’s reflections suggest that meaningful achievement can matter more than wealth or corporate prestige.