Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing leaves Lu Xian locked in the Safe Room and heads to work. Li Xiao gives him documents for a man presumed dead after disappearing six months earlier; Shen plans to use the identity for Lu Xian and asks Gao Jingchuan to have the records changed accordingly.
• Gao brings military equipment to the Precision Optoelectronics Factory. Shen redirects his driver there, eager to begin chip production.
• Shen and Gao discuss which telescope line to prioritize: Eagle Eye Type 1 or Ghost Eye Type 1. Shen says he lacks space and production capacity, so Gao calls his father to help coordinate the factory’s request for more land.
• The factory’s dust-free workshop is ready, and the equipment is unloaded there. Gao is stunned to learn Shen has brought no technicians, only the technical documentation.
• Shen begins rapidly reading the manuals, insisting he can handle the equipment. Gao doubts the company can produce chips and fears the project—and his hoped-for promotion—may collapse.

Character developments

• Shen Bing is confident, opportunistic, and quick to recruit help, whether for Lu Xian’s new identity or for factory expansion. He is also secretive about his real advantage: Lu Xian’s abilities and Shen’s unusual access to advanced chip-making knowledge.
• Gao Jingchuan is ambitious and excited by the prospect of a promotion, but Shen’s cavalier approach to chip production quickly turns his optimism into anxiety. He still helps by contacting his father.
• Dong Qiang is shown as a practical factory manager, ready to arrange unloading and report on the workshop’s progress.
• Lu Xian does not appear directly, but Shen’s preparations to obtain an identity for him show that Shen intends to integrate him into human society.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The title reflects Gao’s growing sense that his promotion hopes may be “all smoke,” while Shen’s apparent recklessness conceals capabilities Gao does not know about.
• Ambition and risk: Shen’s bold plans create opportunities for Gao, but also put Gao’s career hopes at risk.
• Hidden capability and trust: Gao judges Shen by conventional manufacturing standards, while Shen relies on knowledge and resources he keeps secret.
• Powerful connections: Gao’s military ties help move equipment and may smooth the factory’s land negotiations.

Character interactions

• Shen teases Gao about arriving in a military truck, then needles him about his promotion and new Logistics Department assignment.
• Gao presses Shen about chip production and his own advancement; Shen counters by asking for more production capacity and prompting Gao to seek government support through his father.
• Shen orders Dong Qiang to unload the equipment and confirms that the dust-free workshop is ready.
• Gao challenges Shen’s lack of technicians, while Shen brushes off his concern and starts studying the manuals at startling speed.

Plot points

• Shen Bing directs the unloading and basic assembly of newly delivered chip-fabrication equipment, astonishing Gao Jingchuan with how competently he handles it. Gao suspects Shen had researched the equipment in advance and deliberately let him believe otherwise.
• Shen treats Gao and the delivery soldiers to an expensive lunch, then returns to Phantom Immortal Technology. Wang Sheng complains that the chairman needs a secretary, since he keeps having to handle Shen’s appointments and errands. Shen tells him to find a capable employee to transfer into the role.
• Wang explains that renowned Italian architect Fischer is arriving to discuss a proposed design for the company’s headquarters. Shen agrees to meet him but sees no need to arrange an airport pickup.
• Fischer arrives with his Japanese interpreter, Okamura. Eager to present what he considers the masterpiece of his career, Fischer is unconcerned when no one meets them and tells Okamura to take a taxi.
• Neither man knows the company’s address. After the taxi driver helps them find its website, Okamura doubts that a glass-making company can afford a five-billion-dollar headquarters and suspects Fischer has been duped.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing appears more capable and strategic than Gao expected, while remaining casual about company protocol and hospitality.
• Gao Jingchuan moves from disbelief at Shen’s apparent ignorance to frustration and suspicion that he was deliberately fooled.
• Wang Sheng openly challenges Shen over the lack of administrative support, showing that he is one of the few employees comfortable speaking candidly with the chairman.
• Fischer is proud, ambitious, and nearly obsessive about realizing his unconventional rotating-tower concept; the invitation revives his hopes.
• Okamura is practical but increasingly exasperated, resenting the lack of a pickup and having to manage Fischer’s arrangements. His skepticism about the company sets up a comic contrast with Fischer’s enthusiasm.

Significant themes

• Deception and mistaken impressions: Gao believes Shen was ignorant, while Okamura suspects Fischer has misjudged his prospective client.
• Ambition versus practicality: Fischer’s spectacular design has long been stalled by cost, despite his belief in its potential.
• Power and informality: Shen’s growing importance contrasts with his relaxed attitude toward ordinary business procedures.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing reviews the Sales Department’s plan for selling Phantom Immortal Technology’s expensive civilian Over-the-Horizon Telescope. He rejects distributors because they would take a share of the profits, sees online sales as possible but uncertain, and considers building a sales network premature and costly.
• Feng Shaolong tells Shen Bing that architect Fischer has arrived. Shen Bing and General Manager Wang Sheng go to meet him.
• Fischer’s interpreter, Okamura, is furious about the company’s modest, rented offices and assumes its ambitious plans are a publicity stunt. He confronts Shen Bing rudely.
• Shen Bing orders Okamura out. When Okamura insults the company in Italian and calls it fraudulent, security guards remove him.
• Fischer, unable to understand the exchange, becomes increasingly distressed. Wang returns with Zhao Zijun, a Sales Department employee who knows Italian. She translates Okamura’s accusations, leaving Shen Bing and the others bewildered.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is frustrated by the challenge of selling an expensive product without established channels. In the meeting, his patience vanishes when Okamura acts disrespectfully; he responds decisively and uses the company’s authority to remove him.
• Okamura moves from indignation to panic once the guards arrive, though he tries to persuade Fischer that the company is a scam.
• Fischer remains confused throughout because he cannot follow the language around him. He attempts to intervene but backs down when confronted by security.
• Zhao Zijun gets an unexpected chance to demonstrate her Italian skills. Though nervous, she handles the translation and helps clarify the dispute.
• Wang Sheng and Feng Shaolong support Shen Bing: Feng brings in security, while Wang finds an Italian speaker.

Significant themes

• Business growth versus limited resources: Shen Bing weighs ambitious sales strategies against the cost of building infrastructure and his reluctance to share profits.
• Appearance and judgment: Okamura mistakes a young company’s modest premises for proof that its larger plans are fraudulent.
• Power and respect: The encounter shows the sharp shift in tone when Okamura challenges Shen Bing on the company’s own turf.
• Communication barriers: The language gap intensifies the conflict and leaves Fischer unable to understand what is happening.

Key plot points

• Zhao Zijun translates for Shen Bing and architect Fischer, calming Fischer’s suspicion that the visitors are impostors—though he remains doubtful that Phantom Immortal Technology can afford its plans.
• Shen rejects Fischer’s rotating Rubik’s Cube–style headquarters as insufficiently ambitious. He demands that every building module move freely in all directions, not just rotate horizontally. Fischer protests the engineering and energy challenges, but Shen says the company will supply special materials and insists the design fee is for solving difficult problems.
• The two sides agree that Fischer will produce detailed designs and construction drawings within two months. Phantom Immortal Technology will pay 50 million yuan up front, another 300 million after delivery, and the remainder after construction. Fischer will need to expand his team or outsource work to meet the deadline.
• Shen notes that the company still needs to secure roughly 1,000 mu of land and, more urgently, find enough money to pay for the project.
• After Fischer leaves, Shen tells Wang Sheng to sell the company’s position in Heavenly Auspice Special Glass. The stock has begun to stabilize after the Lin Family lost control, and the investment has earned nearly 200 million yuan.
• Shen makes clear that this profit is only a small return in a larger plan to destroy the Lin Family. He blames Lin Tianxiang for arranging a bombing and has been monitoring the family, with Little Doudou shadowing its current leader, Lin Shaogong.
• On the drive home, Shen asks about Yuan Wei’s mother’s surgery, but Li Xiao has no news. Shen then asks what can be relied on most; Li Xiao answers “force.” Shen reflects that even great strength cannot overcome illness and death.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows bold, expensive ambition in the headquarters project and ruthless patience in his revenge against the Lin Family. Yet his concern about Yuan Wei’s mother reveals unease about the limits of his power.
• Fischer shifts from suspicion and disbelief to excitement at the chance to create a world-famous building, though he remains uncertain the project can actually be built.
• Zhao Zijun serves as the essential interpreter, enabling the negotiations despite the limits of her technical vocabulary.
• Wang Sheng is pleased by the quick investment profit and promptly carries out Shen’s order to sell.
• Li Xiao expresses his mercenary faith in controlled force, prompting Shen to reflect on its limits.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus feasibility: Shen’s vision pushes architecture beyond conventional engineering, while cost, materials, manpower, land, and financing remain obstacles.
• Power and its limits: Shen can manipulate markets and pursue revenge, but force cannot prevent illness or death.
• Revenge and justice: Shen sees the stock trade as merely a preliminary “interest” payment; his larger goal is to ruin the Lin Family for the attempted bombing.
• Appearance versus reality: Fischer doubts the company’s wealth, while Phantom Immortal’s grand plans and swagger exceed its immediate financial means.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing visits the Safe Room beneath his villa and learns that Lu Xian has excavated a vast underground complex, reaching about 800 meters below ground. He considers adding a concealed elevator connecting it to his bedroom.
• Shen Bing gives Lu Xian another task. Lu Xian later reports that Heavenly Auspice Special Glass has suffered a string of seemingly unrelated disasters.
• After the company’s stock briefly stabilizes when the Lin Family is removed from its decision-making circle, most of a large LCD-substrate batch fails inspection. Five float-glass furnaces also explode, injuring workers but causing no deaths.
• Investigations attribute the furnace explosions to aging equipment, while the defective products show hundreds of different faults. Unable to resume production or meet contracts, the company files for bankruptcy.
• Lin Shaogong tells his father, Lin Tianxiang, the news. Lin Tianxiang collapses and dies from a cerebral hemorrhage. With the Lin Family ruined and Lin Zijian facing prison, the family’s influence collapses.
• No one suspects Shen Bing’s involvement. Privately, however, he realizes that Lu Xian caused the disasters and reflects on the power he now holds over others’ lives.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing moves from practical planning for his underground base to confronting the moral implications of his actions. He feels uneasy about having life-and-death power, but does not regret retaliating after someone tried to kill him.
• Lu Xian demonstrates not only extraordinary construction ability but also skill at covert sabotage and apparently lethal, undetectable methods. Shen Bing communicates with him mentally and face-to-face, then hears his report.
• Lin Shaogong is left to deliver the news of the company’s bankruptcy to his father.
• Lin Tianxiang dies after hearing that the company and family have fallen.
• The company’s directors go from relief and celebration to panic and despair as the production failures and explosions unfold.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Shen Bing recognizes the moral weight of wielding hidden, potentially lethal power.
• Revenge and justice: Shen Bing regards his actions as retaliation rather than something to regret.
• Chance versus hidden causation: The disasters appear to be a ridiculous chain of coincidences, but Lu Xian’s report reveals deliberate sabotage beneath the appearance of accident.
• Collapse and consequences: Financial failure destroys the company and the Lin Family’s standing, with personal tragedy following the business downfall.

Key events

• After resolving the Heavenly Auspice Special Glass issue, Shen Bing takes Lu Xian to the factory to inspect eleven domestic chip-production machines.
• Lu Xian says he can improve the equipment’s precision, though the upgrades may make its driver software incompatible. Shen Bing has Lu Xian refine the hardware while he obtains and decompiles a copy of the drivers.
• Lu Xian finishes optimizing the machines overnight. Shen Bing continues working on the software, while Li Xiao takes Lu Xian around the city and helps him buy materials.
• Shen Bing plans the next stages of his secret underground base: a custom elevator and an independent power supply. He intends to use advanced geothermal technology to generate power from a shaft several kilometers deep, with Lu Xian building the specialized equipment.
• Huang Tao tells Shen Bing that funding for the Virtual Combat System was nearly withdrawn, but Commander Gao helped keep the project alive. The military still intends to order 100,000 lenses; Shen Bing directs Huang Tao to arrange details with the company.
• Wang Sheng reports that the municipal government has agreed to sell land and that the contract will be signed the next morning. Shen Bing declines to attend, leaving Wang Sheng to handle the major deal.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows growing confidence in his technical ability and long-term ambitions. He delegates manufacturing work to Lu Xian, tackles driver software himself, and continues expanding the company and underground base. His willingness to skip an important land-signing meeting also highlights his casual, sometimes irresponsible approach to management.
• Lu Xian demonstrates exceptional precision and versatility, quickly disassembling and improving the chip equipment. Shen Bing trusts him with increasingly ambitious fabrication projects.
• Huang Tao apologizes for the delay and explains how he secured the Virtual Combat System’s funding. Shen Bing stays composed and keeps the classified Eagle Eye project’s connection to the funding situation secret.
• Wang Sheng manages the land negotiations but privately resents Shen Bing’s lack of involvement.

Significant themes

• Technological advancement and self-reliance: Shen Bing plans to overcome domestic equipment limitations through Lu Xian’s craftsmanship and his own software expertise.
• Ambition and secrecy: The underground base, geothermal power system, and classified military projects reveal the scale of Shen Bing’s plans—and the need to keep them hidden.
• Delegation and responsibility: Shen Bing relies on capable associates, but his absence from important business matters creates friction and leaves others carrying the burden.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing skips a government contract-signing ceremony to focus on rewriting the driver software for a domestic photolithography machine. After two intense days, he has an optimization plan, though it will require changes to the equipment before it can be used.
• Phantom Immortal Technology’s business continues to expand: construction begins on phase three of its factory complex, a defense contract worth 300 million yuan is signed, and delivery of Dream Glass for the Nancy Building Project is complete. Despite substantial revenue, Shen Bing remains cautious about spending because the company faces major costs and regular land payments.
• Lu Xian completes an 800-meter rail-driven elevator for the Underground Base, capable of carrying five tonnes, and prepares the equipment for a geothermal generator.
• On December 29, Shen Bing and Lu Xian test the photolithography and chip-production equipment at the factory. The first batch of Phantom Immortal Technology’s advanced CCD chips enters production, though the process will take weeks.
• On the way home, Shen Bing finds a Gate to the Immortal Realm mission: help the bored Nezha find enjoyment. He wonders whether the task amounts to turning a well-behaved child into a troublemaker.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is intensely focused and technically inventive, balancing ambitious plans with careful management of the company’s cash. He supervises the chip line but leaves once he confirms it is running properly.
• Yuan Wei admires Shen Bing’s intelligence and dedication, imagining that whoever marries him would be fortunate.
• Shen Bing renews his construction partnership with Jiangnan Construction Company after its reliable work. The company’s chairman thanks him and seeks a lasting relationship; Lu Xian is promoted to vice president and continues overseeing construction projects.
• Lu Xian demonstrates his engineering skill by building the elevator and preparing the geothermal generator. Shen Bing also keeps him from driving often because he lacks a license.
• Shen Bing and Lu Xian work together to test the factory equipment and launch chip production.

Significant themes

• Innovation and secrecy: Shen Bing develops technology beyond the capabilities of the existing machine while keeping his advanced chip-production methods protected.
• Ambition versus financial caution: The company’s growth brings major opportunities, but its obligations make Shen Bing wary of spending freely.
• Trust and long-term cooperation: Reliable work earns Jiangnan Construction Company continued business and a deeper role in Phantom Immortal Technology’s expansion.
• A comic turn toward mischief: The Nezha mission introduces the possibility that Shen Bing’s next challenge will be less about engineering and more about stirring up trouble.

Key plot points

• Shen Bing considers how to entertain the bored Nezha and settles on introducing him to a card game.
• Wang Bo calls to invite Shen Bing to a New Year’s Eve gathering with their friends and some of Qin Juan’s friends. Shen Bing agrees to go the following night.
• At the company, Shen Bing enters the Immortal Realm through the game and finds Nezha grounded and bored. Nezha explains that he was grounded for killing an evil dragon.
• Shen Bing teaches Nezha Fight the Landlord, reasoning that Nezha’s three heads can serve as three independent players.
• Nezha transforms into his three-headed, six-armed form and begins playing against himself. Shen Bing watches and starts advising him on his moves.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is resourceful and mischievous, using Earthly entertainment to relieve Nezha’s boredom. He knowingly risks encouraging Nezha’s troublesome tendencies because completing his mission is his priority.
• Nezha is revealed as a restless, impulsive young deity who resents being confined to study and is eager for excitement. His excitement over the game quickly replaces his boredom.
• Wang Bo and Shen Bing retain their teasing, familiar friendship. Wang Bo pressures Shen Bing to join the gathering and casually calls Qin Juan his “wife.”
• Shen Bing and Nezha establish a playful teacher-and-student dynamic, with Shen Bing explaining the rules and then coaching Nezha as he plays.

Significant themes

• Entertainment across worlds: Shen Bing brings ordinary human pastimes into the Immortal Realm.
• Mischief and responsibility: Shen Bing’s practical solution may encourage Nezha’s unruly nature, but he prioritizes the mission over its possible consequences.
• Power used for play: Nezha’s supernatural ability to split his attention turns a three-player game into a one-player match.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing leaves Nezha absorbed in playing Fight the Landlord and turns to the company’s paperwork, which he processes with remarkable speed.
• Construction begins at the Phantom Immortal Technology Park. During preliminary demolition, workers uncover several old, supposedly unclaimed graves.
• More than a hundred villagers claim the graves belong to their ancestors and stop the work. They reject even an offer of 500,000 yuan per grave, insisting the graves be restored instead.
• After negotiations by the company, police, and town officials fail, the dispute reaches Shen Bing. He suspects the villagers may be deliberately obstructing the project, but has no proof.
• Shen rejects Wang Sheng’s suggestion to leave the matter entirely to the government: although construction delays will not immediately affect production, he wants the obstruction investigated. He tells Wang to hold off and look for a way to uncover the villagers’ motives.
• Shen then contacts Little Doudou, who says he is busy “picking up chicks.” Shen threatens to cut off the cat’s food unless he comes back.

Character developments

• Shen Bing shifts from irritation to suspicion as he confronts an obstacle that money cannot resolve. He remains practical, deciding to investigate rather than accept a prolonged delay.
• Wang Sheng offers possible solutions—DNA testing or handing the dispute to the government—but recognizes that deliberate obstruction would be difficult to disprove.
• Tian Fang is shown trying to keep negotiations calm and protect the project, despite the villagers’ refusal to compromise.
• Nezha becomes increasingly skilled at the card game, while Little Doudou appears to be pursuing his own interests and ignoring Shen’s authority.

Significant themes

• Development versus local claims: A modern industrial project clashes with villagers’ asserted ties to old graves.
• The limits of money and procedure: Generous compensation, mediation, and possible testing may not resolve a dispute if the other side refuses ordinary negotiation.
• Suspicion and uncertainty: Shen suspects outside interference, but the villagers’ plausible claims leave him without clear evidence.

Character interactions

• Nezha ignores Shen while absorbed in the game, prompting Shen to return to work.
• Tian Fang and the relocation team negotiate with villagers, with police and town officials attempting to mediate.
• Shen consults Wang Sheng about the dispute; they weigh possible explanations and responses before Shen orders an investigation.
• Shen’s exchange with Little Doudou ends on a comic note: the cat brushes him off, and Shen responds with a threat to withhold food.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing asks Little Doudou to follow the villagers leading the relocation opposition and report who they meet or call. Little Doudou agrees, but demands Immortal Realm Cat Food; Shen Bing considers that it may improve the cat demon’s growth and abilities.
• The relocation dispute remains unresolved. The villagers claim they are protecting their ancestral graves and favorable feng shui, while Shen Bing doubts their explanation. He considers using Little Doudou’s Plague God Possession ability, but rejects it because it could harm innocent people. He decides to wait and, if necessary, seek Commander Gao’s help.
• With little else to do, Shen Bing checks on Lu Xian’s underground work, then drives his Spyker C8 to his university dorm. The equipment installation, more than four thousand meters below ground, is progressing well.
• At the dorm, Shen Bing finds Wang Bo and Sun Li wrestling. Sun Li wins the standoff by using a painful, embarrassing hold. Their quarrel stems from Sun Li criticizing Wang Bo’s girlfriend, Xiao Juan; Wang Bo is furious and warns him to stop.
• Shen Bing asks Yang Jingxuan about work. Yang has applied to Strange Fox Company but has not yet found a suitable position.
• Wang Bo and Sun Li discover that Shen Bing’s unfamiliar car is a Spyker C8 worth several million yuan. Excited, they rush out to take it for a drive, leaving Shen Bing wondering whether he should have revealed it.

Character developments

• Shen Bing shows restraint and practical judgment: despite his frustration, he refuses to use a dangerous supernatural ability against the villagers. He is also increasingly comfortable with his wealth, viewing his car as a matter of comfort and safety rather than status.
• Little Doudou remains self-interested and comically aggrieved, but is willing to help Shen Bing. Shen Bing begins thinking of Cat Food as a way to develop the small demon’s powers.
• Wang Bo is protective of his relationship with Xiao Juan and reacts angrily to Sun Li’s criticism.
• Sun Li is blunt enough to raise concerns about Wang Bo’s girlfriend, but backs off when Wang Bo makes clear how much the issue matters.
• Yang Jingxuan remains calm and selective about his career prospects.

Themes and character interactions

• Power used responsibly: Shen Bing weighs supernatural coercion against the risk to bystanders and chooses caution.
• Wealth and perspective: Shen Bing’s changed circumstances contrast with his friends’ surprise at his expensive car; he no longer sees luxury as mere showing off.
• Friendship and teasing: The dorm scene highlights the group’s familiarity through roughhousing, jokes, and their eagerness to share Shen Bing’s new car.
• Loyalty and conflict: Wang Bo’s anger reflects his commitment to Xiao Juan, while Sun Li’s attempt to intervene strains their friendship.

Plot points and events

• After Sun Li and Wang Bo leave, Shen Bing chats privately with Old Yang. Shen hopes to recruit him eventually, but Phantom Immortal Technology is publicly known only as a glass factory, so he settles for hinting at future expansion into computers and networking.
• Outside the university, Sun Li and Wang Bo park Shen Bing’s Spyker C8 and leave drinks on its hood, hoping to tease passersby and enjoy the attention their car attracts. A woman takes a drink but walks away without getting in.
• The pair then see a woman kiss the driver of a Mercedes-Benz before stepping out. Wang Bo recognizes her and rushes over.
• Later, Sun Li calls Shen Bing, saying that “a seasoned driver crashed” and urging him to come. Shen Bing and Old Yang arrive to find a crowd gathered around the Mercedes.
• The car’s driver, a bloodied middle-aged man, accuses Wang Bo of assaulting him and threatens to call the police. The woman is Qin Juan, Wang Bo’s girlfriend, who also has a handprint on her face. The crowd says she was secretly involved with the Mercedes driver.
• The driver taunts Wang Bo by calling him a scrap collector. Wang Bo loses his temper and threatens to attack him again.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows his trust in Old Yang and quietly tests the waters about bringing him into the company.
• Old Yang understands Shen Bing’s hints without requiring an explicit offer, reflecting their close friendship.
• Sun Li and Wang Bo begin with playful bravado, using the expensive car to impress and provoke passersby. Their comic confidence gives way to a serious confrontation.
• Wang Bo appears to have discovered Qin Juan’s apparent infidelity and reacts violently. Sun Li tries to restrain him, while Shen Bing and Old Yang arrive to assess the situation.
• Qin Juan and the Mercedes driver are left at the center of the confrontation; the driver uses Wang Bo’s background to provoke him.

Significant themes

• Trust and unspoken understanding: Shen Bing and Old Yang communicate their intentions indirectly because of their friendship.
• Pride and provocation: The Spyker attracts attention, while the driver’s insult escalates an already volatile dispute.
• Betrayal and humiliation: The apparent infidelity turns Wang Bo’s playful afternoon into a painful personal crisis.
• Comedy shifting into conflict: The chapter’s jokes about showing off and picking up women contrast sharply with the bloody scene and threat of police involvement.

Key events

• Wang Bo, enraged after catching a middle-aged man with Wang Bo’s wife, tries to attack him again. Shen Bing stops him, warning that a moment of revenge could cost Wang Bo his future; Old Yang helps calm him.
• The injured man threatens to have Wang Bo imprisoned and refuses to discuss compensation. Shen Bing slaps him after he insults him, then calmly explains that the injuries are legally minor and warns that he can afford to make the man’s life miserable.
• The man dismisses Shen Bing as a nobody until Shen points out that the nearby Spyker C8 is his, making the threat seem more credible.
• Mr. Chen arrives, greets Shen warmly, and offers to handle the dispute. He recognizes the middle-aged man as a Tanglin Company shareholder and makes clear that defying him would have consequences.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows practical concern for Wang Bo, first preventing an impulsive assault and then using intimidation to protect him. His calm, forceful approach contrasts with his earlier attempt to act as a mediator.
• Wang Bo shifts from furious, self-destructive retaliation to restraint after Shen reframes the stakes in terms of the years of life he would be risking.
• The middle-aged man begins confident and threatening, but Shen’s slap, wealth, and connection to Mr. Chen leave him frightened and humbled.
• Mr. Chen treats Shen with conspicuous respect, revealing that Shen has influential connections the antagonist did not expect. His arrival changes the balance of power.
• Old Yang supports Shen by helping settle Wang Bo, while the crowd watches and comments on Shen’s tactics.

Significant themes

• Restraint over revenge: Shen argues that punishing an unfaithful partner is not worth sacrificing one’s own future.
• Power and status: The man’s confidence collapses when he realizes Shen has wealth and influential allies.
• Law versus intimidation: Shen invokes legal limits while also making a personal threat, blurring the line between lawful resolution and coercion.

Plot points and events

• Mr. Chen forces the middle-aged man to make amends for his misconduct by withdrawing his investment in Tanglin Company and leaving Rongcheng. Facing Mr. Chen’s influence and the threat of losing his investment, the man reluctantly agrees and drives away.
• Shen Bing accepts Mr. Chen’s intervention without much gratitude, then leaves with Wang Bo, Old Yang, and Sun Li. Wang Bo and the others do not acknowledge Qin Juan; she watches them go, regretting what happened but unable to speak.
• The men spend the evening drinking together. Wang Bo and Sun Li drink heavily, while their friends offer companionship rather than consoling words. Li Xiao later drives them back to campus, with Yuan Wei helping because Shen Bing has been drinking.
• Shen Bing asks Yuan Wei to call him by his name rather than “Mr. Shen.” She drives him to the Riston Hotel, where he is meeting Mr. Chen. Yuan Wei joins him at the hotel’s sky café, and Mr. Chen greets her as Shen Bing’s companion before Shen Bing redirects the conversation to business.

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Bo moves quickly from hurt and anger to treating Qin Juan as a stranger. His friends’ quiet solidarity helps him process the incident, and his recent martial-arts training is presented as having strengthened his self-control.
• Shen Bing remains casual and self-assured, even toward the powerful Mr. Chen. He values a less formal relationship with Yuan Wei, though his slightly tipsy insistence that she drop his title comes across as playfully domineering.
• Mr. Chen uses his clout to impose a severe business consequence on the middle-aged man, then seeks a private discussion with Shen Bing.
• Yuan Wei becomes more relaxed after Shen Bing invites her to use his name. She appears uneasy about being mistaken for his date, but her readiness to follow his lead—and her irritation toward people he dislikes—suggests growing personal attachment.
• Qin Juan is left with regret, while the middle-aged man is forced to accept the consequences of his actions. The men’s drinking and lack of overt comfort show their support for Wang Bo through presence rather than words.

Significant themes

• Actions have consequences: the middle-aged man’s conduct costs him his business position, while Qin Juan must live with the damage to her relationship with Wang Bo.
• Loyalty and quiet support: Shen Bing’s friends stand by Wang Bo without pity or speeches.
• Power and social hierarchy: Mr. Chen’s influence makes resistance futile, contrasting with Shen Bing’s irreverent refusal to treat him with deference.
• Moving on and emotional resilience: Wang Bo’s pain is intense but short-lived, and he quickly detaches once the conflict is settled.

Plot and events

• Venture capitalist Mr. Chen meets Shen Bing, ostensibly to offer help with controversy over Phantom Immortal Technology’s demolition work near ancestral graves. His real aim is to use the issue as leverage to secure a controlling investment.
• Chen offers two billion yuan for 51% of the company, arguing that his firm’s connections matter more than its money.
• Shen rejects the offer, mocks Chen’s greed through a joke about an overfed pig, and insists Phantom Immortal Technology will not sell even 0.1% of its shares. He warns Chen to use whatever tactics he wants and leaves with Yuan Wei.
• Chen then reports to Young Master Hu, who orders him to intensify the public pressure. Chen cautions that Shen may have military connections and could be behind a previous incident involving Heavenly Auspice Special Glass. Hu dismisses the concern, saying they are acting within the law.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing shows confidence in his company’s value and fierce determination to keep control. His contempt for Chen’s offer turns a polite meeting into an open confrontation.
• Mr. Chen begins with feigned concern and a pitch for “protection,” but his aggressive demand exposes his real intentions. Humiliated by Shen, he turns to Hu for support.
• Yuan Wei learns that Phantom Immortal Technology has earned several billion in recent months and is far more successful than she imagined. She backs Shen’s joke with a playful answer.
• Young Master Hu appears calm and privileged, treating the dispute as a contest of endurance and trusting that legal cover will shield his side.

Significant themes

• Greed and control: Chen frames a takeover as helpful investment, while Shen refuses to trade ownership for influence.
• Power and intimidation: The exchange shifts from business persuasion to threats and a looming campaign of pressure.
• Appearance versus reality: Chen’s “sincere” concern is a pretext for acquisition, captured by the chapter’s title.
• Law as a shield: Hu invokes legality not as a moral principle, but as confidence that his tactics will be difficult to punish.

Plot points and events

• Shen Bing reads evidence linking Hongda Finance to the latest troubles and considers how to protect Phantom Immortal Technology. He rejects immediate retaliation and debates with Li Xiao whether the company should eventually develop a discreet armed force.
• Because demolition work at the factory is being disrupted, employees work through the New Year holiday; Shen offers triple pay. Li Xiao investigates the protesters and finds they are local hoodlums.
• Shen reveals that Little Doudou followed Mr. Chen and uncovered who was behind the obstruction. When protesters claim the factory damaged ancestral graves—and bring reporters to amplify the accusation—Shen remains untroubled, hinting he has a plan.
• The chapter explains that Li Jinyuan, a recently released ex-con, accepted a 100,000-yuan deposit to sabotage the demolition and hold out for further instructions. He recruited locals and staged the grave dispute, hoping to profit from both sides.
• That night, after drinking, Li Jinyuan passes the graveyard. A voice speaks directly into his mind, threatening him with misfortune and death. Terrified, he runs.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is strategic and restrained: he weighs the risks of an armed company, investigates covertly, and avoids overt violence despite his anger.
• Li Xiao urges advance preparations for the company’s future security and carries out the investigation. He reads Shen’s cold expression as a sign that someone will face consequences.
• Li Jinyuan is revealed as greedy but cautious after prison. His confidence collapses when he believes a ghost is threatening him.
• Little Doudou helps Shen uncover the plot by tailing Mr. Chen, though the chapter leaves the precise plan for later.
• The protesters, reporters, factory staff, and police turn the demolition dispute into a public-relations threat, while Shen’s calm response contrasts with the factory team’s anxiety.

Significant themes

• Power and self-protection: Shen weighs the danger of becoming an armed corporation against the vulnerability of immense wealth without defenses.
• Greed and consequences: Li Jinyuan’s attempt to exploit the dispute leads to a supernatural scare.
• Deception and public pressure: A fabricated grievance and the presence of reporters are used to obstruct the company and shape public opinion.
• Restraint and indirect action: Shen prefers investigation and an unseen solution over openly violent retaliation.

Key plot points and events

• After encountering apparent supernatural misfortune on the way home, Li Jinyuan discovers a nail has pierced his foot. Afraid to leave for the hospital, he summons Qiangzi instead.
• Qiangzi arrives badly injured and terrified, having also encountered a ghost. The two call in six more men, but each suffers injuries. The group’s house then collapses; rescuers find one man dead and the others injured.
• News outlets initially report that Phantom Immortal Technology has disturbed ancestral graves and is besieged by locals, casting the company as the villain.
• Counter-reports reveal that the men were hired to extort and harass the company, and that their injuries followed their alleged ghostly encounter. Photographs and the men’s accounts undermine the first reports, rapidly reversing public opinion in Phantom Immortal Technology’s favor.
• Li Jinyuan posts a photograph and recording of the person who hired him for five million. The man is identified as connected to Hongda Finance. The company denies responsibility, but online users reject its explanation; further allegations of Hongda’s interference in an earlier Phantom Immortal Technology venture fuel a boycott campaign.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Jinyuan and Qiangzi shift from frightened denial to panic as their injuries and shared experiences convince them that something supernatural is happening. Li nevertheless refuses to abandon the lucrative scheme, proposing to hire a Taoist priest.
• The hired men’s failed attempts to help one another emphasize their helplessness; their gathering ends in disaster.
• Li later becomes a source of evidence against the scheme’s organizers by sharing his recording and photograph.
• Media outlets and influencers first amplify accusations against Phantom Immortal Technology, then face public backlash when evidence contradicts their coverage. Online commenters help expose the hired thugs’ role and Hongda Finance’s alleged involvement.

Significant themes

• Public opinion and misinformation: Sensational initial reporting can condemn a target quickly, but evidence can just as quickly reverse the narrative.
• Consequences and retribution: The men’s apparent supernatural punishment gives their wrongdoing a horror-story dimension.
• Power and accountability: Hongda Finance’s influence is challenged when ordinary users mobilize online.
• Greed and fear: The five-million-yuan offer keeps Li involved even as danger becomes undeniable.

Summary

• Plot/events: This is an author’s note rather than a story chapter. The author announces that Sleepy’s Immortal Realm Technology is ending its two-month free-release period and will move to paid chapters at noon, beginning with three chapters.
• Character development: No story characters appear. The author describes the protagonist as neither arrogant nor vengeful, and says the novel focuses on developing “black technology.” The author also rules out a harem romance.
• Themes: The note emphasizes that readers’ differing tastes are subjective, acknowledges the book’s flaws, and mentions that some apparent unanswered questions are planted as foreshadowing.
• Interactions: The author thanks editor Bohan for his support and readers for their encouragement, tips, and votes. They explain that the editor’s advice prompted the earlier-than-planned move to paid chapters.
• Update schedule: The author promises at least two chapters daily, with bonus chapters tied to subscription growth, tips, and monthly votes, with no stated cap.

Plot points

• Hongda Finance’s failed scheme against Phantom Immortal Technology has unraveled. The men involved have exposed the company, while a house collapse and injuries near a graveyard—events Young Master Hu’s contacts confirm were real and apparently unexplained—have made the situation even more alarming.
• Mr. Chen suggests blaming Phantom Immortal Technology online, but Shen Bing interrupts by asking for Chen’s WeChat ID and sending him a video.
• The video shows Chen and Young Master Hu’s private conversation from beneath their desk, despite there being no apparent way for anyone to have filmed it. Terrified that it could be leaked, they call Shen Bing.
• Young Master Hu offers to meet Shen Bing’s terms in exchange for the video. Shen refuses to promise he has no copies and instead demands that they leave Phantom Immortal Technology alone. He warns that any further scheming could bring an even more damaging revelation.
• Humiliated and frightened, Young Master Hu accepts the warning but ends the call with a threat.

Character developments and interactions

• Young Master Hu shifts from confidence and fury to fear and helplessness. His influence cannot protect him from the unexplained recording or the possibility of public exposure.
• Mr. Chen loses his composure as well. Though he tries to find a way to retaliate or shift blame, Shen’s video makes him anxious and powerless.
• Shen Bing remains cheerful and controlled, using the mysterious footage to demonstrate that he can expose their private actions. His calm manner makes him seem especially intimidating.
• Chen and Young Master Hu argue over the failed plan, then cooperate in trying to negotiate with Shen. Their shared fear replaces their earlier confidence.

Significant themes

• Fear of the unknown: The unexplained video makes the two men feel watched, showing how uncertainty can be more frightening than a direct threat.
• Power and accountability: Shen turns the pair’s own covert plotting into leverage, forcing them to face the consequences of their actions.
• Surveillance and exposure: The video highlights how private conversations can become evidence—and how the possibility of exposure can restrain powerful people.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Bing confirms that Little Doudou orchestrated the supernatural harassment of the villagers and financiers who had challenged the graves. The house collapse—caused by the intensified bad-luck possession—was unintended, but it broke the victims’ resolve and prompted them to confess publicly that their claims were fabricated extortion.
• Shen Bing keeps the secret recordings of Young Master Hu and Mr. Chen rather than risking legal trouble by releasing them. He uses the footage as private leverage and intends to continue retaliating through Little Doudou’s Plague God Possession.
• After resolving the dispute, Shen Bing visits his newly completed underground base. Lu Xian shows him the vast, secure facility, including its silent elevator, heavily reinforced blast door, bright passageways, and largely empty laboratories and workshops. Shen Bing is pleased with the work.
• Construction at Phantom Immortal Technology’s industrial park proceeds now that the villagers are no longer obstructing it. The company is expanding its glass and optoelectronics factories, while three production lines begin making the civilian Spirit Vision Telescope, a high-end product expected to earn substantial revenue.
• The military has already received half its order of Eagle Eye Type 1 Telescopes and reportedly likes them. That military product remains confidential, while the civilian model is being prepared for wider attention.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing is satisfied with his indirect, deniable approach to revenge: he avoids exposing the source of the recordings or openly confronting powerful targets, but remains determined to punish them.
• Little Doudou emerges as a potent and unsettling agent of misfortune, capable of causing both psychological torment and major accidents.
• Lu Xian continues to serve Shen Bing as a tireless, highly capable builder and technician. Shen Bing trusts him to manage the base and factory projects, and Lu Xian respectfully guides him through the underground facility.
• Shen Bing’s dealings with Young Master Hu and Mr. Chen are adversarial and calculated: he holds leverage over them and plans further harassment rather than immediate public exposure or direct violence.

Significant themes

• Power through secrecy and indirect action: Shen Bing prefers hidden leverage and supernatural agents to open confrontation, especially against influential opponents.
• Revenge and moral ambiguity: He sees his actions as justified retaliation, though his plans to torment his enemies go beyond simply resolving the original dispute.
• Technology and rapid growth: The advanced underground base and expanding factories show how quickly Phantom Immortal Technology is scaling, while also highlighting the practical limits of staffing and equipment.
• Commercial ambition and military influence: The civilian telescope offers major profit potential, while the confidential military version hints at the company’s growing strategic importance.

Key plot points and events

• Phantom Immortal Technology prepares for the Nancy Building’s completion ceremony, the first major real-world project to showcase Dream Glass across an entire building. Its unveiling is expected to persuade hesitant developers that the expensive material is worth buying.
• Shen Bing receives a lavish invitation from the Nancy Group and decides he needs suitable clothes for the ceremony. He asks Yuan Wei to help him shop, and Li Xiao drives them to Taikoo Li.
• During the drive, Shen Bing checks the Gate to the Immortal Realm and speaks with Nezha. Nezha has grown bored of playing Fight the Landlord alone and asks Shen Bing to find other immortals to join him.
• Shen Bing considers who could safely and enjoyably play with Nezha, then forms a plan. He also wonders whether he might be able to bring back anything Nezha wins.
• So absorbed in this scheme, Shen Bing abruptly cancels the shopping trip and tells Li Xiao to return to the villa, leaving Yuan Wei and Li Xiao confused.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Bing remains distracted by the Immortal Realm even when business and personal plans demand his attention. Though he grumbles about Nezha’s mission, he takes the request seriously—and begins thinking opportunistically about the gambling games.
• Nezha is eager for stimulation during his confinement. He admits that playing alone is dull and asks Shen Bing to arrange company, trusting him to keep the plan quiet.
• Yuan Wei initially doubts she can advise Shen Bing on luxury fashion, but agrees to accompany him; she privately welcomes the chance to shop with him. Shen Bing’s sudden change of plans cuts the outing short.
• Li Xiao acts as driver and is puzzled by Shen Bing’s abrupt decision, suspecting that the game has once again taken priority.

Significant themes

• The value of spectacle and proof: The Nancy Building’s full-scale use of Dream Glass is meant to overcome doubts that a small sample cannot resolve.
• Distraction versus responsibility: Shen Bing’s obsession with the Immortal Realm interrupts both his preparation for an important business event and his planned outing.
• Finding amusement in confinement: Nezha’s request frames entertainment as a way to make forced isolation bearable.
• A comic undercurrent of conspiracy: Shen Bing’s plan to recruit powerful, competitive immortals—and his hope of claiming their winnings—turns a simple card game into a potentially lucrative scheme.