Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Elder Li questions whether the Wind God Type 1 can safely reach Mach 3.2. Shen Bing assures him its unusual airframe can withstand the speed and points to the upcoming demonstration.
• Shen explains that the aircraft’s nuclear propulsion gives it an exceptional theoretical endurance of two to three years. A military officer doubts that the crew could remain aboard that long, but Shen says the military’s food-preservation technology can keep food fresh for years; Elder Li confirms this.
• Shen reveals that the aircraft needs no onboard crew to operate: it supports autonomous flight, piloted flight, and remote piloting.
• As the officials continue questioning him, the aircraft takes off with startling speed and little runway, stunning both the military audience and the reporters watching below.
• Shen explains that remote pilots use real-time aircraft sensor data, virtual reality with 99-percent fidelity, and a new transmission system that enables zero-latency control anywhere on Earth. The military major general is especially shaken because the armed forces have invested heavily in virtual reality without comparable results.
• Reporters, who were given no explanation, speculate about the aircraft’s size, performance, and origins. A few capture the takeoff on video, while others regret missing it. A young reporter who bet the aircraft was not genuine realizes he may lose.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains confident and enjoys the officials’ astonishment, presenting major technological breakthroughs as though they were straightforward.
• Elder Li repeatedly challenges Shen with practical questions but accepts his explanations, including the food-preservation claim.
• The military officers move from skepticism to amazement. The major general’s reaction reveals the military’s frustration at being outpaced in virtual-reality research.
• The reporters shift from curiosity to confusion and envy: most miss the takeoff, while the few who record it refuse to sell their footage. The betting reporter grows anxious as the aircraft proves real.

Significant themes

• Technological disruption: The aircraft’s nuclear power, autonomous operation, and rapid takeoff overturn conventional expectations.
• The gap between invention and understanding: Shen’s audience can grasp the implications but struggles to believe what they are seeing; the military’s prior research efforts make his achievements especially jarring.
• Information and spectacle: Officials receive explanations, while reporters are left to guess—and the brief, dramatic takeoff becomes valuable news footage.
• Humor through contrast: Shen’s matter-of-fact confidence contrasts with the observers’ disbelief and frustration.

Summary

This entry is an author’s notice rather than a story chapter. The author says an unexpected matter has come up and they cannot post an update today, but promises to make up for it with three updates tomorrow. Readers are asked to be patient and refresh the page later, once the leave notice for Immortal Realm Technology has been posted.

• Plot and characters: No story events or character interactions occur.
• Themes: The notice emphasizes the author’s communication with readers and asks for their understanding.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• At a press conference following the Wind God Type 1’s maiden-flight ceremony, Shen Bing introduces representatives from Phantom Immortal Technology and the military, including Major General Director Zhou.
• Shen confirms that Phantom Immortal Technology designed and manufactured the aircraft itself—including its raw materials, machine tools, and full production supply chain.
• He explains that the aircraft’s apparent ten-day production time reflects the final assembly period; components were made beforehand. With production and assembly running in parallel, the company’s effective aircraft production cycle is ten days.
• Shen reveals that the Wind God Type 1 is nuclear-powered and capable of a week-long test flight around the Earth, including flights over the poles and Mount Everest.
• The military has ordered the first aircraft. After its test flight, it is expected to be delivered and enter service as a nuclear-powered combat aircraft.
• Director Zhou confirms that the purchase followed military procedures and outlines possible roles: strategic bomber, aerial refueling tanker, and strategic transport aircraft. He also hints that future nuclear-powered aircraft may follow.

Character developments

• Shen Bing presents himself as calm, confident, and openly ambitious, answering skeptical questions with increasingly astonishing claims.
• Director Zhou shifts from a composed military representative to a forceful public advocate for the aircraft, affirming the military’s confidence and revealing its intended applications.
• The reporters move from probing skepticism to amazement and alarm as the aircraft’s capabilities and rapid path to service become clear.

Significant themes

• Technological disruption: The company’s claimed control of the entire supply chain and extraordinary production speed challenge assumptions about what aircraft manufacturers can achieve.
• Military power and deterrence: Nuclear propulsion and the aircraft’s potential global reach suggest a major shift in strategic capability.
• Secrecy and public disclosure: The press conference reveals enough to provoke speculation, while the military’s full assessment and plans remain classified.
• Confidence versus caution: The military’s willingness to accept the first aircraft after a remarkably short development period raises questions about risk and testing.

Character interactions

• Reporters challenge Shen on the aircraft’s origin, manufacturing timeline, performance, and destination; he answers directly and uses the questions to publicize the company’s capabilities.
• When reporters question whether the military’s purchase is prudent, Director Zhou assures them that the decision rests on scientific evaluation and established procedures.
• Zhou’s description of potential missions—and his suggestion that nuclear propulsion could spread to other aircraft—leaves the audience contemplating the broader consequences.

Plot points and events

• At the Wind God Type 1 Heavy Transport Plane’s unusual maiden-flight ceremony, Shen Bing presents the aircraft as a first step toward a grander goal: building spaceships and helping humanity reach the stars. Most listeners see this as stirring rhetoric, but Elder Li knows Phantom Immortal Technology is already building a spacecraft.
• News of the aircraft sparks intense discussion. Many people in Huaxia see its global range, combined with the company’s mysterious invisibility technology, as a major shift in the balance of power.
• Foreign media accuse Huaxia of fueling an arms race and threatening world peace—claims the chapter suggests are encouraged by the United States.
• At the White House, President and senior officials debate how to respond. Defense Secretary Kleizer proposes killing Shen Bing, arguing that earlier covert operations failed because the United States hid its involvement. The CIA director warns that the aircraft and invisibility technology could make retaliation devastating.
• Kleizer counters that America’s nuclear advantage would deter Huaxia, and suggests using a scapegoat to give Huaxia a face-saving way to avoid escalation. The President and others recognize the proposal’s appeal but remain wary of the risk.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing publicly projects confidence and lofty ambition, while privately his plans are more advanced than the audience realizes.
• Elder Li is the only person shown to understand that Shen’s spaceflight vision is already becoming reality.
• The President is anxious about America’s declining dominance and resentful that the crisis is unfolding during his administration. He demands concrete solutions rather than general calls to act.
• Kleizer remains a committed defender of American hegemony and advocates an aggressive response, despite his own involvement in earlier failed attempts against Shen.
• The CIA director urges caution, emphasizing the danger of provoking Huaxia.
• The discussion exposes a divide between Kleizer’s willingness to gamble and the President’s concern about the consequences.

Significant themes

• Rhetoric versus reality: Shen’s speech sounds like patriotic showmanship to the public, but it reflects genuine plans already underway.
• Shifting global power: The aircraft is portrayed as potentially ending Huaxia’s sense of strategic inferiority and threatening American hegemony.
• Escalation and deterrence: The officials weigh assassination, retaliation, nuclear deterrence, and the danger of misjudging an opponent.
• National pride and propaganda: Huaxia’s public celebrates the aircraft, while foreign media frame it as a threat to peace, showing how technological advances are interpreted through competing national interests.

Plot points and events

• U.S. leaders debate whether to assassinate Shen Bing. Secretary of State Morey warns that retaliation could trigger a cycle of violence, citing the mysterious deaths of two CIA directors who had plotted against Shen.
• The president remains furious, but the new CIA director admits previous agents could not get close to Shen or his family in Huaxia. In reality, Rongcheng’s Smart City system and Qiuqiu have been detecting and neutralizing intruders.
• Kleizer proposes abducting the two women living with Shen and using them to kill him. The president approves the idea, provided the U.S. first makes a conciliatory gesture. The officials agree to withdraw the carrier fleet exercising with Singapore, since its blockade has failed to disrupt construction on Gold Island.
• Meanwhile, Shen gives ten newly recruited researchers Aperture-Opening Pills, enhancing their abilities, then sends them back to work.
• Shen reflects on his growing urgency: he believes the U.S. sees Phantom Immortal Technology as a threat and may resort to extreme measures to preserve its dominance. He concludes that he must accelerate development and weaken America’s capacity to cause mutual destruction. The chapter ends as he considers two possible approaches.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is increasingly focused on the strategic stakes of his company’s growth. He anticipates American escalation and treats rapid technological progress as a way to end the standoff.
• The U.S. president is angry at the limits on American power and readily endorses a plan to target Shen through the women close to him.
• Morey is more cautious, emphasizing the danger of retaliation and the futility of maintaining the blockade.
• Kleizer advocates a covert, ruthless strategy, while the new CIA director appears frustrated by the agency’s inability to operate effectively in Huaxia.

Significant themes

• Deterrence and retaliation: Past attempts on Shen’s life have made American leaders fear the consequences of provoking him.
• Escalating rivalry: Both sides see the other as an existential threat, raising the danger of extreme measures.
• Technology as power: Phantom Immortal Technology’s innovations—and its Smart City system—shape both the geopolitical balance and the characters’ options.
• Urgency and preparation: Shen believes that technological advantage is necessary to prevent a catastrophic deadlock.

Character interactions

• Morey challenges the president’s appetite for action by warning that retaliation could endanger American leaders and institutions.
• Kleizer persuades the president to pursue Shen indirectly by targeting his companions; Morey supports withdrawing the carrier fleet as an initial gesture.
• Shen’s interaction with the researchers is brief but significant: he boosts their capabilities, then prioritizes their work over personal contact.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing considers ways to deter the United States from using nuclear weapons: disarm its ability to do so, or make Earth less essential by establishing a human foothold elsewhere. He decides that getting off Earth—even to the Moon—should be a priority.
• The Americans announce that their military exercise is over and withdraw their carrier fleet from Singapore. Shen Bing suspects this is a retreat, but cannot tell why they are backing down.
• After failing to extract any black technology from twelve Aperture-Opening Pills, Shen Bing accepts that the Eye of Truth has a very low success rate.
• He gives Yun Xue and Yuan Wei one pill each, hoping to improve their intelligence. Before he can explain much, Yun Xue takes one herself.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is cautious and strategic, planning for worst-case scenarios even while acknowledging that a nuclear attack may be unlikely.
• He is also smug and possessive about giving the women pills, believing their loyalty is assured after secretly checking their thoughts. His private reflections reveal insecurity about his relationship with Yun Xue, which has remained mostly chaste after nearly six months.
• Yun Xue is playful and skeptical, joking that the pills might be dangerous or might compare to the supposedly intelligence-boosting “Life No. 1.” Her sudden decision to swallow one catches Shen Bing’s attention.
• Yuan Wei is curious and eager to learn what the pills are.

Significant themes

• Preparation against existential threats: Shen Bing’s plan to establish an off-world refuge reflects the chapter’s concern with survival and deterrence.
• Power, secrecy, and trust: Shen Bing’s extraordinary resources let him share transformative pills, but his confidence in the women rests partly on surveillance and assumptions about their loyalty.
• Comedy alongside high stakes: Shen Bing’s crude anxieties and the women’s jokes contrast with the serious geopolitical threat and the pills’ potentially significant effects.

Key plot points and events

• Yun Xue takes an Aperture-Opening Pill and collapses in severe pain, eventually losing consciousness. Shen Bing reassures Yuan Wei that the reaction is normal and gives her a pill as well.
• Yuan Wei postpones cooking, but Shen Bing explains that his company has developed intelligent chef robots. He plans to bring both women into the company’s advanced work once its facilities move to Gold Island.
• Qiuqiu urgently summons Shen Bing to the Genetic Research Zone. He carries the unconscious Yun Xue to her bedroom before leaving.
• Clarence reports that the mysterious gene sequence can form a dark-matter chain capable of storing energy and information—and transmitting signals over vast distances. Its estimated maximum range is about 100,000 light-years.
• Shen Bing realizes the sequence recently used a large amount of energy to send a signal. He fears it may have reached an alien civilization that could still exist and respond to Earth.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows concern for Yun Xue and Yuan Wei, while also treating the pill’s painful effects as a worthwhile trade-off. His ambitions for Phantom Immortal Technology extend toward an independent, mobile base and eventually space.
• Yun Xue endures the pill’s effects and is left unconscious; Shen Bing carries her to bed before answering the urgent summons.
• Yuan Wei trusts Shen Bing enough to take the pill despite seeing Yun Xue’s reaction. Their playful exchange about her cooking and the robots shows their easy familiarity.
• Clarence presents a major scientific discovery with both excitement and concern. Shen Bing’s questioning shifts quickly from curiosity to alarm.

Significant themes

• Scientific advancement brings risks alongside power: the gene sequence’s extraordinary communication ability may expose Earth to an unknown threat.
• The chapter contrasts domestic, lighthearted relationships with the scale of the approaching interstellar danger.
• Shen Bing’s plans for Gold Island reflect a desire to free his company—and perhaps humanity—from ordinary limits, even as the consequences of its discoveries remain uncertain.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing learns that the strange gene sequence sent a message into space three or four months earlier. Clarence has decoded it: it reported Earth’s technological level and social structure, suggesting its purpose was reconnaissance rather than a declaration of war.
• The signal may have reached an alien civilization capable of sending a spacecraft to Earth thousands of years ago. Shen Bing fears an attack could already be underway.
• Clarence advises that any defense should keep a conflict away from Earth, since aliens might be far less reluctant than humans to devastate the planet. Shen Bing decides that forward bases around Earth are essential.
• To avoid causing public panic, Shen Bing keeps the discovery secret and mobilizes the Underground Base’s research teams. He prioritizes turning advanced technologies into working weapons and defenses: ion cannons, dark-matter shields, and military applications of gravity control. Planetary climate-control research is also accelerated, though it must wait for Gold Island’s completion.
• The chapter ends with Gold Island expanding into a vast floating structure in the waters southeast of Singapore, having grown rapidly despite the U.S. military exercise and presence nearby.

Character developments

• Shen Bing shifts from confidence that he has several years to prepare to urgent, worst-case planning. He commits to secrecy, rapid research, and preventing any battle from reaching Earth.
• Clarence contributes a strategic perspective: even if humanity could repel an invasion, fighting on Earth could leave it ruined. He is cautious about speaking beyond his expertise, but his advice helps shape Shen Bing’s plans.
• The newly cultivated researchers, including Norman and Hua Long, are positioned to accelerate the development of advanced defenses.

Significant themes

• Preparedness and vigilance: Shen Bing believes it is safer to assume hostile intent than to be caught unprepared.
• The danger of contact: A signal intended to gather information may expose Earth to a powerful civilization.
• Protecting one’s home: Earth is humanity’s home, but an alien enemy might have no reason to spare it.
• Secrecy and rapid technological development: Shen Bing sees public disclosure as more likely to cause panic than help, so he relies on concentrated research and preparation.

Character interactions

• Shen Bing presses Clarence for both the decoded message and his view of how Earth should respond; Clarence’s warning leads Shen Bing to focus on keeping enemies away from the planet.
• Shen Bing directs his research organization through a series of orders, assigning major technologies to specialized teams and drawing on the newly trained scientists.
• Gold Island’s rapid expansion implicitly challenges the U.S. military’s attempt to pressure or contain Shen Bing.

Key plot points and events

• Singapore’s Coast Guard is monitoring Gold Island, which has grown to roughly three square kilometers.
• On the night the American carrier fleet withdraws, the observers notice Gold Island moving south. They confirm their own ship is stationary, panic that the island might sink, and report the event to headquarters.
• Gold Island continues drifting across the sea, gradually increasing its speed.
• Meanwhile, Shen Bing leaves the Underground Base and finds Yun Xue and Yuan Wei excited after taking Aperture-Opening Pills. Both feel their thinking has become dramatically clearer.
• Shen Bing jokingly claims the pills are “Three-Corpse Brain-Control Pills” in response to Yun Xue’s earlier teasing, then refuses to explain how he made them.
• Yuan Wei and Yun Xue imagine the pills could transform their research center, but Shen Bing says they cannot be mass-produced and reveals each pill costs twenty billion. The women are stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Singapore’s Coast Guard crew shifts from boredom to alarm as they realize Gold Island is moving; their fear centers on the danger of a possible sinking.
• Yun Xue is playful and perceptive: she recognizes Shen Bing’s joke and sees through his evasive “flash of inspiration” explanation.
• Yuan Wei is enthusiastic about the pills’ potential for scientific research and broader availability.
• Shen Bing remains secretive about the pills’ origin and practical limits, while using humor to deflect questions.

Significant themes

• The extraordinary becoming undeniable: Gold Island’s movement turns a seemingly impossible claim into a witnessed fact.
• Power and risk: Gold Island’s size and movement could threaten nearby vessels, while the pills’ extraordinary benefits come with an immense cost.
• Secrecy and ambition: The women see the pills as a path to scientific greatness, but Shen Bing withholds their source and emphasizes that they cannot yet be shared widely.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing, Yun Xue, and Yuan Wei dine on food prepared by the Spirit Immortal Robot. Impressed by its cooking, Yuan Wei declares she will never cook again.
• Singapore Commerce Minister Wang Zhaolong calls to warn that Gold Island has drifted nearly a kilometer south and may be at risk of sinking. He hopes Shen Bing will seek Singapore’s help, potentially giving Singapore leverage.
• Shen Bing dismisses the danger, comparing the island to a sealed, empty box. Wang suspects the movement is intentional and ends the call without pressing further.
• After Yun Xue asks how an island can move, Shen Bing reveals his plan to develop Ocean City: a mobile, nationality-free headquarters for Phantom Immortal Technology, positioned in international waters.
• He assures the women that he can protect the city even from a nuclear attack.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains relaxed and confident, revealing the scale of his ambitions and hinting that his research includes powerful military technology.
• Wang Zhaolong begins by trying to pressure Shen Bing into seeking Singapore’s assistance, but Shen Bing’s composure leads him to suspect that Gold Island’s movement is deliberate.
• Yun Xue voices practical concerns about the city’s security and lack of national protection. Yuan Wei listens alongside her, both women surprised by Shen Bing’s plans.
• The three share a casual dinner, while Yuan Wei’s playful reaction to the robot’s cooking provides a lighter contrast to the strategic conversation.

Significant themes

• Technological ambition and independence: Ocean City would let Phantom Immortal Technology operate beyond any country’s jurisdiction.
• Power and security: Shen Bing believes advanced technology—and especially military strength—can protect the company where political guarantees cannot.
• Secrecy and trust: Shen Bing shares a major plan with Yun Xue and Yuan Wei, though the company’s most consequential technologies and personnel remain closely guarded.

Plot points and events

• After dinner, Shen Bing chats with Yun Xue and Yuan Wei, who are still amazed by the intelligence-boosting Aperture-Opening Pills.
• Yun Xue asks whether the company’s aircraft can travel beyond Earth. Shen Bing says they are not built for space, then reveals that the company is already constructing a spaceship for a lunar mission; the supposed heavy-transport-plane project was a cover for related technology.
• The conversation turns to alien life. Shen Bing believes aliens exist and suspects first contact would be dangerous, especially given earlier evidence that an alien civilization may have hostile intentions toward Earth.
• Worried that the signal from Dragon Lake Ring Island could draw aliens to the area—and put Yun Xue and Yuan Wei at risk—Shen Bing decides to improve their ability to defend themselves.
• He buys two Dragon-Tiger Pills, successfully analyzes one to obtain the three-star technology for a Level 2 Gene-Enhancement Drug, then transfers both pills out of the Gate to the Immortal Realm.
• Despite lingering unease about the previous pills’ painful effects, Yun Xue and Yuan Wei take the new ones.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing reveals how far his space program has progressed and privately shifts from discussing alien contact in the abstract to preparing his loved ones for possible danger. His successful analysis also brings him a major new technology.
• Yun Xue is excited by the prospect of space travel but wary of taking another pill after the headaches caused by the first.
• Yuan Wei shows confidence in her knowledge of history, quickly predicting that first contact between civilizations could mean war or mutual testing.
• The women trust Shen Bing enough to accept the pills, though not without apprehension. Their lively questions contrast with his growing private concern.

Significant themes

• Scientific ambition: The company’s aircraft work conceals a much larger effort to reach space.
• First contact and mistrust: Shen Bing sees alien encounters through the lens of human history and fears that Earth may face hostile outsiders.
• Protection and responsibility: His concern for his loved ones leads him to strengthen them rather than rely on outside help.
• Trust amid uncertainty: The women do not know what the pills contain, but accept them based on Shen Bing’s assurances.

Key plot points and events

• After Shen Bing makes an ominous remark, two women collapse from the effects of taking Dragon-Tiger Pills. He carries them to their bedrooms.
• Gao Jingchuan calls about Gold Island’s unexpected movement. Shen Bing admits he is behind it and says the island is heading toward the equator, where the scenery is better. Gao suspects the real goal is to create a mobile platform for launching spacecraft.
• Gao warns that the island will pass through Indonesian waters. Shen expects trouble, and Gao offers possible government support if the situation escalates.
• Singapore realizes that Gold Island’s movement could affect maritime claims. Since it retains sovereignty over the island, it argues that the surrounding waters might become Singapore’s exclusive economic zone. It holds a press conference, repeatedly calling Gold Island an “island” rather than a vessel.
• Indonesia responds by declaring its waters inviolable and demanding advance notice from incoming vessels—an apparent warning to Gold Island.
• The United States also stakes a claim, emphasizing Singapore’s sovereignty. Behind its public support for an ally, it is attracted to the island’s immense strategic and military potential.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains calm and cryptic about Gold Island’s purpose, treating its movement as routine while anticipating political complications.
• Gao Jingchuan is worried but trusts Shen’s explanation. He correctly suspects the island is part of a larger plan and offers help from the Chinese government if needed.
• Singapore’s leaders shift from treating the incident as a technical problem to pursuing the potential maritime and economic benefits of sovereignty.
• Indonesia takes a defensive, uncompromising stance to prevent any threat to its territorial waters.
• The United States publicly frames its position as defending Singapore, while privately weighing the island’s enormous strategic value.

Significant themes

• Technology outpacing law: No existing rules clearly determine whether a vast, mobile structure counts as an island or a vessel.
• Sovereignty and economic interests: Countries debate ownership and maritime boundaries because control of the island could bring major benefits.
• Power politics: Governments’ claims are shaped less by principle than by strategic advantage and military strength.
• Hidden purpose: Shen’s stated reason for moving Gold Island contrasts with others’ belief that it is intended as a launch platform or strategic base.

Key plot points and events

• The United States publicly offers support to Singapore over Gold Island, hoping to prevent Huaxia from gaining control of the mobile maritime platform. Singapore does not respond, wary of provoking Phantom Immortal Technology after its earlier role in seizing the company’s ships.
• Governments worldwide recognize Gold Island’s strategic importance, but Singapore judges that becoming the battleground between the United States and Huaxia would be far more dangerous than any potential gain from claiming it.
• Gold Island continues drifting toward Indonesia, coming within a kilometer of its maritime boundary. Huaxia makes no public statement, a silence that effectively leaves Phantom Immortal Technology free to manage the situation.
• Indonesian officials demand an explanation before the island enters their waters. Shen Bing tells company secretary Yan Lexuan to describe it as a “ship” merely drifting past, confident Indonesia will not try to stop it.
• Shen Bing studies the Level 2 Gene-Enhancement Drug. It triples the physical abilities already gained from Level 1, potentially turning a user into a superhuman; its production should be feasible once Level 1 can be manufactured at scale.
• Shen Bing considers revealing the potential of human enhancement to the world, but recognizes that the Body-Strengthening Exercise’s spread through Huaxia’s schools and military may soon make the secret impossible to keep.

Character developments and interactions

• Singapore’s leadership demonstrates caution and strategic judgment, choosing silence rather than siding with the United States and risking retaliation or conflict.
• Shen Bing remains confident and dismissive of Indonesia’s ability to obstruct Gold Island. He is also increasingly focused on the consequences of human enhancement and how to reveal it.
• Yan Lexuan worries that Shen Bing’s explanation to Indonesia is too vague, but accepts his reassurance.
• Shen Bing contrasts the drug’s effects with his own transformation: the Dragon-Tiger Pill has made him vastly stronger than an ordinary human, and its genetic effects may also benefit his descendants.

Significant themes

• Power, sovereignty, and risk: Gold Island’s value makes it both an asset and a potential liability; smaller nations must weigh profit against the danger of great-power conflict.
• The influence of advanced technology: Phantom Immortal Technology’s innovations give it leverage that rivals traditional state power.
• Human evolution and responsibility: Gene enhancement may create “living weapons” and alter future generations, raising the stakes of deciding when and how to disclose it.
• Strategic silence: Huaxia’s lack of comment allows Phantom Immortal Technology room to act while signaling its tacit confidence.

Plot points and events

• Gold Island drifts into Indonesian waters. Indonesia does not intervene, while patrol boats follow it nearby; the island’s owner, Phantom Immortal Technology, allows them to watch but not board.
• Shen Bing learns that Huaxia’s leadership has accepted his proposal not to claim sovereignty over Gold Island. Although Singapore once held the formal claim, Huaxia prefers to avoid a dispute: Phantom Immortal Technology already controls the island in practice.
• Shen Bing thanks Secretary Jiang and then arranges a carefully guarded shipment of sealed cargo from Rongcheng to Shenzhen, where it is loaded onto a ship headed toward Gold Island. The cargo’s contents are not revealed.
• Gold Island moves faster than expected and reaches international waters that evening. It has no national flag, and nearby observers—including a U.S. carrier fleet—watch its progress.
• On deck, workers discuss whether foreign forces might board the island. They are bored and eager for action, but know the Automatic Defense System is active and unlikely to be switched off.
• U.S. fighters fly repeated formations over Gold Island, an unmistakable show of force that enrages the workers.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows political caution as well as confidence: he consults Huaxia’s leadership over the island’s status, accepts a deliberately noncommittal approach, and proceeds with preparations to protect and supply the island.
• Secretary Jiang explains the leadership’s reasoning and conveys its trust in Shen Bing.
• The workers aboard Gold Island, including the young man and the Black technician nicknamed Hunting Crossbow, are restless and combative. Their conversation reveals both their readiness for confrontation and their dependence on orders from company leadership.
• The U.S. pilots’ display provokes the workers, turning their frustration into open anger.

Significant themes

• Practical control versus legal sovereignty: Phantom Immortal Technology possesses Gold Island, but formal claims remain politically sensitive. Huaxia chooses the benefits of control without making a provocative claim.
• Corporate power and state dependence: Phantom Immortal Technology’s Cancer Cure No. 1 gives it leverage over governments, helping explain why Indonesia and Huaxia act cautiously.
• Escalation and provocation: The island’s unflagged status and the U.S. aircraft display raise the risk of conflict, while the workers’ desire to fight contrasts with the company’s controlled, strategic approach.

Plot and key events

• Gold Island has expanded to three square kilometers, with most of its vast interior devoted to manufacturing. Its main current project is a workshop to produce intelligent robots, which will help maintain the island.
• Difu, the island’s supervisor and former commander of the Blade Mercenary Corps, oversees installation of the robot production lines. He is eager to gain robot “underlings.”
• Eight U.S. F-35s repeatedly circle the island as it drifts through international waters. Difu views the flyover as a provocation but calls Shen Bing rather than acting rashly.
• Illusion Immortal Technology posts a public condemnation through the Dragon Scale System and links to a livestream. Viewers identify Gold Island and suspect the U.S. military is pressuring or scouting it.
• The White House calls the flyover routine exercises, but the fighters continue following the island.
• Suddenly, two F-35s appear to malfunction, and both pilots eject. The jets crash into Gold Island’s garden, leaving large craters and a shower of sparks.

Character developments and interactions

• Difu is shown as loyal to Shen Bing and protective of Gold Island. Though excited by the prospect of more subordinates, he demonstrates restraint and strategic judgment when faced with the U.S. aircraft.
• “Peppa Pig”, a subordinate with a conspicuous chest tattoo, alerts Difu to the circling fighters. Their exchange highlights the crew’s readiness to respond.
• Shen Bing is not directly present, but Difu’s decision to contact him emphasizes their chain of command and Difu’s loyalty.
• The U.S. military and the company communicate indirectly through public statements: the company condemns the flyover, while the White House denies it is provocative.

Significant themes

• Technological ambition: Gold Island’s growth and robot-production plans show the company’s drive to automate and expand.
• Public perception and information warfare: The livestream and competing statements turn a military encounter into a public spectacle, with viewers drawing their own conclusions.
• Power and provocation: The U.S. fighters’ persistent shadowing of Gold Island creates tension over sovereignty and military intimidation.
• Unexplained interference: The simultaneous failures of two advanced aircraft suggest that the crash may be more than an ordinary accident, though the chapter leaves the cause unresolved.

Plot and key events

• Two U.S. F-35s crash onto Phantom Immortal Technology’s Gold Island during a military exercise, with no visible collision or external attack. The incident is broadcast worldwide, embarrassing the United States and prompting public questions about the aircraft and its pilots.
• The White House must recover the two pilots and wreckage while managing the company’s earlier accusations against the U.S. Military. It weighs force but fears provoking Phantom Immortal Technology, Huaxia, and broader international backlash.
• Secretary of State Morey asks Huaxia to intervene. Huaxia refuses, pointing out that the Americans had claimed Gold Island belonged to Singapore and telling them to approach Singapore instead.
• The U.S. orders a carrier fleet to blockade the island and sends the Department of Commerce to contact Phantom Immortal Technology.
• On the island, staff welcome the ejected pilots and interview them live. The pilots claim their flight was part of a planned exercise. Difu challenges them, questioning why they circled the island and whether the crashes were intentional.

Character developments and interactions

• The U.S. President, despite his usual confidence, feels uneasy about Phantom Immortal Technology and recognizes that a forceful response could make the situation far worse. The White House reluctantly turns to diplomacy.
• Huaxia’s authorities rebuff Morey’s request, leaving the Americans to handle the crisis themselves.
• Difu shifts into the role of reporter, pressing the pilots with increasingly pointed questions. The pilots offer guarded, evasive answers, while livestream viewers debate what really happened.

Significant themes

• Public humiliation and political face: The crashes undermine America’s attempt to project military strength.
• Power and restraint: The U.S. has military options but hesitates because the political consequences could be severe.
• Suspicion and ambiguity: The unexplained, similar crashes fuel speculation that the incident was premeditated rather than accidental.
• Media and accountability: The livestream makes the event—and the competing explanations—visible to a global audience.

Summary

• Two U.S. F-35s crash near Gold Island during a livestream. Viewers at the White House and around the world suspect the dramatic flyover may have been a planned attempt to create grounds for the U.S. military to search the surrounding waters and gain access to the island.
• Difu challenges the pilots’ explanation. The pilots insist both aircraft suffered simultaneous technical failures. Difu points out how unlikely that is, then mocks their claim that they flew faulty planes through risky maneuvers. He accuses them of endangering lives—and even the island’s flowers and grass—turning the confrontation into absurd comedy that entertains viewers.
• Shen Bing privately confirms the cause. Speaking with Secretary Jiang, he reveals that Gold Island used an ion beam to bring down the fighters. The weapon’s effective range is only about ten kilometers, so the planes had to come unusually close. Jiang sees the range as a limitation, but Shen Bing treats the test as successful.
• Technology and leverage are discussed. Jiang asks whether Shen Bing can obtain the wrecks for China to study. Shen Bing dismisses the F-35s as unremarkable and claims he can design a better fighter after completing his current transport-plane orders. Jiang authorizes him to handle the dispute and make the Americans pay for provoking trouble.
• The U.S. reaches out. The American Secretary of Commerce calls Shen Bing about the crashed aircraft and asks him to cooperate in managing the aftermath. Shen Bing readily agrees, though his calm response leaves open what that cooperation will involve.

Character developments and interactions

Difu is quick-witted and confrontational, using ridicule to expose the weakness of the pilots’ account and shift public opinion. The pilots are defensive and overwhelmed, unable to explain the simultaneous failures convincingly. Shen Bing is confident, secretive about the island’s capabilities in public, and dismissive of American aircraft technology in private. Secretary Jiang trusts Shen Bing to manage the crisis, while the U.S. official approaches him cautiously, recognizing that Gold Island controls access to the wrecks and pilots.

Significant themes

The chapter explores public perception and political pressure, as a livestream turns a military incident into a global spectacle; technological power, with the ion beam giving Gold Island a formidable but short-range defense; and national rivalry and negotiation, as both China and the United States seek advantage after the crash.

Key plot points and events

• U.S. Secretary of State Morey contacts Shen Bing to negotiate the return of two captured pilots and the recovery of a crashed fighter’s wreckage.
• Shen agrees, but demands compensation for the vegetation the aircraft destroyed on Gold Island. He offers either restoring the damaged area with the same plant varieties or paying $10 million per plant.
• Morey realizes the cash option could amount to an impossible sum, especially if grass is counted. He chooses restoration, though he remains suspicious that Shen is setting a trap.
• Shen tells Morey that a third “option”—a Marine assault or missile strike—is technically possible, but Morey rejects it. A U.S. team must identify and replace the damaged plants before taking the pilots and wreckage.
• The real complication is that the crash destroyed an immortal herb transplanted from Dragon Lake Ring Island. Ordinary plants are easy to replace, but this rare specimen cannot be replicated and is extraordinarily valuable to anyone outside Shen’s circle.
• Nearby, the U.S. carrier fleet forms a loose ring around Gold Island. Its aircraft remain grounded while the military investigates the crashes. The manufacturer, Martin, insists the F-35s could not have lost system control and blames pilot error, leaving fleet commander Lieutenant General Rick angry and without an explanation.

Character developments and interactions

• Morey begins cautiously optimistic, then becomes wary of Shen’s unusually cooperative attitude. He loses his temper at the compensation demand but regains caution, choosing the seemingly safer restoration option and planning to report the situation to the President.
• Shen Bing remains calm and deliberately offers an extreme cash alternative, while concealing the significance of the destroyed herb. He appears willing to let the Americans proceed, but the unusual compensation terms suggest he has a hidden motive.
• Lieutenant General Rick is frustrated by the crashes and by Martin’s confident dismissal of system failure.
• The phone conversation highlights the tension between Morey’s diplomatic pragmatism and Shen’s controlled, teasing negotiation.

Significant themes

• Power and leverage: Shen can dictate terms because the U.S. cannot easily force its way onto Gold Island.
• Appearances versus reality: Morey assumes the damage is ordinary landscaping, unaware that one destroyed plant is irreplaceable.
• Pride, suspicion, and diplomacy: Past hostility makes Shen’s cooperation seem suspicious, while Morey must choose between costly demands and military escalation.
• Institutional denial: Martin’s immediate insistence on pilot error contrasts with the unexplained crashes and Rick’s growing frustration.

Key plot points and events

• After the U.S. fighters crash on Gold Island, Rick is ordered by the Department of Defense to inspect the damage and help restore the crushed vegetation. The order follows Shen Bing’s demand that the United States repair the landscaping before the pilots are released.
• Rick resents the assignment, seeing it as an absurd task for a carrier-fleet commander. He arrives with more than twenty men, including several knowledgeable about plants.
• The team enters Gold Island through a concealed opening in its towering metal wall and travels through an illuminated passage to a dock. Rick is impressed by the island’s advanced construction but irritated by their sparse, indifferent welcome.
• Difu, who previously questioned the pilots, greets Rick as the person in charge. He mocks the pilots’ flying, prompting Rick to call the crashes accidents.
• Rick proposes assessing the plants and compensating Gold Island for their value. Difu explains that Shen Bing’s terms are either to restore the landscaping or pay $10 million per plant. Rick is blindsided, since his superiors did not tell him about the payment option.
• Unable to contact Shen Bing or challenge the terms, Rick agrees to inspect the damage. Difu warns him that he is “in big trouble.”

Character developments and interactions

• Rick is angry and defensive from the outset. His military status clashes with the humiliating assignment and Gold Island’s lack of deference. Though he threatens to use his fleet if provoked, his awe at the island’s technology and his lack of leverage force him to swallow his pride.
• Difu is blunt and unmoved by Rick’s rank. He taunts him about the pilots, states Shen Bing’s terms, and makes clear that Rick must deal with the consequences rather than expect special treatment.
• Shen Bing does not appear, but his instructions drive the encounter: he treats the crash as a matter of restoring the island’s landscaping, while setting a steep price for each damaged plant.
• Rick’s men share his frustration at being treated casually, but follow his lead as the group navigates the island and meets Difu.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Rick’s military authority means little on Gold Island, where its owner’s rules prevail.
• Humiliation and loss of control: Rick’s confident threats are undercut by his inability to negotiate or even reach Shen Bing.
• Technology and asymmetry: Gold Island’s extraordinary design impresses Rick and reinforces the gap between its capabilities and his expectations.
• Accountability: The United States must answer for the damage caused by its aircraft, whether through restoration work or substantial compensation.

Key plot points and events

• Rick, a U.S. representative, checks the crash site of one of the F-35s and is relieved to find it untouched. He had feared Phantom Immortal Technology might have hidden the aircraft or sent it to Huaxia, which could have put him at risk of court-martial.
• Difu focuses less on the fighter jet than on the plants it crushed. At Rick’s request, Difu has workers lift the aircraft with an ordinary-looking crane so the damaged greenery can be assessed.
• Most of the ruined plants are identified as common species, but the group cannot identify a broken sapling. Rick urges them to call it a peach tree, hoping to keep compensation modest.
• Difu agrees that it is a peach tree—but claims it is exceptionally valuable and vital to Phantom Immortal Technology’s pharmaceutical achievements. He demands an identical replacement or threatens to charge ten million dollars for each dead plant.
• Rick negotiates a replacement of the same variety rather than an identical individual. Difu supplies only a tiny leaf fragment for testing, which Rick accepts. Rick then leaves without checking the second aircraft’s crash site.

Character developments and interactions

• Rick shifts between relief, resentment, irritation, and cautious diplomacy. He is unsettled that Phantom Immortal Technology seems indifferent to the F-35, yet increasingly realizes that Difu’s real leverage may lie in the damaged plants. Rick tries to minimize the compensation and quietly hopes the tiny sample will be of limited use.
• Difu appears casual and eccentric, but proves shrewd in negotiations. He uses the peach tree’s claimed connection to the company’s pharmaceutical success to raise the stakes and controls how much biological material Rick receives.
• Rick and Difu maintain outwardly polite exchanges while each tries to protect his side’s interests. Rick proposes testing the tree to identify its variety; Difu agrees, but limits the sample to a speck-sized leaf fragment.

Significant themes

• Conflicting values: Rick sees the F-35 as the central issue, while Difu treats the plants as more important.
• Power and leverage: The crash gives Phantom Immortal Technology an opportunity to demand compensation, and the mysterious tree becomes the strongest bargaining point.
• Appearance versus reality: An ordinary-looking crane handles a massive aircraft with ease, while an apparently ordinary peach tree is presented as extraordinarily valuable.
• Negotiation and deception: Both men frame their actions as reasonable while trying to control the outcome—Rick by seeking a cheap substitute, Difu by setting steep terms and restricting the sample.