Chapter Summaries

Plot and key events

• Tang Shiba challenges the shop’s coercive rule that anyone who asks a price must buy. She offers to purchase the entire jade shop, but an assistant mocks her.
• Shiba kicks the assistant aside. The other staff threaten to cut their own throats, claiming a curse will harm anyone touched by their blood.
• While the threats are met with laughter, Han Feng and Tang Lin abruptly fall into a fight. Han Feng smashes up the shop, prompting the manager to order the staff to seize the group and threaten to send them to the House of Joy.
• A chaotic brawl breaks out. Su Chen gets Shanshan away, and Si Wuyu leads Tang Shiba out. The others follow, leaving Yang Hua behind briefly; she also escapes.
• The manager calls for reinforcements and boasts that the group cannot get far. Once safely away, Tang Lin confronts Shiba for abandoning him. Shiba jokes that she knew he would catch up.
• Tang Lin learns from Shiba’s thoughts that she had planned to draw out the boss and punish him, but Han Feng’s fight ruined the plan. Yang Hua arrives, relieved to have avoided a costly purchase.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains cool and bold, but chooses flight over a prolonged fight. Her thoughts reveal she had intended to deal with the shop’s boss; her escape was strategic, not fear.
• Tang Lin goes from joking and fighting to feeling abandoned by his sister. Once he understands her plan, he blames Han Feng and decides to keep a closer eye on him.
• Han Feng reacts violently to Tang Lin’s teasing and inadvertently triggers the shop’s destruction and the group’s escape.
• Su Chen protects Shanshan and prioritizes getting her out safely. Si Wuyu helps Tang Shiba escape.
• Yang Hua apologizes for bringing the group into the trap, then runs to avoid the shop staff and a potential loss.
• The livestream audience provides comic commentary, mocking the shop’s threats and Shiba’s apparent retreat.

Significant themes

• The chapter uses comedy and sudden reversals: a supposed showdown turns into a chaotic brawl and getaway.
• Deception and exploitation are central, as the shop uses intimidation to force customers to buy.
• Family loyalty and misunderstanding shape Tang Shiba and Tang Lin’s exchange: he thinks she deserted him, while she had a plan.
• Self-preservation over bravado drives the group’s escape, despite the audience’s expectation that Shiba would fight.

Plot points and events

• Fang Cheng and the group flee the suspicious shop Swipe It All. Fang Cheng blames Yang Hua for leading them there and jokingly fines her 1,000 Dragon Country Currency.
• On the way to dinner, they spot the shop’s employees searching for them. Han Feng quickly knocks down the men who confront the group, while Tang Lin is left without a chance to fight.
• At an upscale restaurant, Tang Shiba and Shanshan prevent Yang Hua from slipping away before paying for dinner, reminding her that she promised to treat them.
• Yang Hua secretly messages accomplices to prepare for a move that night. Tang Shiba reads her intentions and realizes the planned meeting point is a milk tea shop allegedly tied to a human-trafficking operation.
• After dinner, Swipe It All’s manager and his crew surround the group, demanding compensation for the damage to the shop. Tang Shiba and Tang Lin taunt them instead of backing down.
• When the manager orders his men to attack, Tang Shiba charges first and punches him, breaking his nose.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains playful and provocative under pressure, but is also alert to Yang Hua’s schemes. She eagerly turns the confrontation into an opportunity to fight.
• Tang Lin shifts from bewildered by his sister’s orders to confidently trading insults with the shop’s manager.
• Yang Hua grows increasingly nervous as she realizes she cannot control the group. Her false concern for her mother and secret call for backup expose her continued scheming.
• Han Feng is shown as quiet but decisive, taking down the shop’s men without hesitation.
• Si Wuyu stays close and protective of Tang Shiba, silently reacting with lethal intensity when a lackey threatens her.

Significant themes

• The group’s solidarity and confidence contrast with the threats and intimidation used by the shop’s crew.
• Comedy—especially Tang Shiba and Tang Lin’s insults and the livestream’s reactions—undercuts the danger.
• Deception and exploitation recur through Yang Hua’s manipulation and the suspicious businesses surrounding the group.

Character interactions

• Fang Cheng confronts Yang Hua over her poor judgment, while Tang Shiba and Shanshan hold her to her promise to pay.
• Tang Shiba directs Tang Lin, but Han Feng takes the lead in the first fight.
• Tang Shiba and Tang Lin mock the manager and his men; the crew’s anger escalates into a threat against the group.
• Tang Shiba leans on and kisses Si Wuyu to provoke their opponents, prompting a threatening response from one lackey—and a fierce look from Si Wuyu.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba beats up the manager and his employees after they provoke the group. Her insults are as forceful as her punches, and the livestream audience cheers her on.
• Yang Hua considers fleeing but stays. After the fight, she offers to lead the group to a hotel and buys them more than twenty cups of milk tea, secretly intending to drug them.
• Director Wang books a presidential suite so the group can stay together. Si Wuyu carries a sleepy-acting Tang Shiba, prompting excited reactions from viewers.
• Yang Hua tries to get Shanshan to drink the spiked milk tea. Shanshan persuades Yang Hua to take a sip first; Yang Hua reluctantly does, then claims she dislikes it and goes to bed.
• Su Chen detects a sleeping drug in the drinks. Fang Cheng realizes he avoided being drugged because Tang Lin had warned him.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba shows her fierce, protective side in the fight, then plays coy with Si Wuyu, who is openly affectionate toward her.
• Yang Hua shifts from fearful bystander to apparent ally, but her hospitality hides a plan to incapacitate the group.
• Shanshan grows suspicious of Yang Hua and cleverly gets her to taste the drink.
• Su Chen recognizes the milk tea is drugged, while Tang Lin’s warning proves crucial to protecting Fang Cheng.
• Director Wang chooses a shared suite for safety and organizes the sleeping arrangements. His efforts are complicated by concern about the group’s volatile companions.

Themes

• Appearances versus intentions: Yang Hua’s friendly gestures conceal an attack.
• Loyalty and protection: The group looks out for one another, while Tang Shiba confronts threats directly.
• Romance amid danger: Si Wuyu and Tang Shiba’s affectionate closeness contrasts with the brewing scheme.
• Humor and spectacle: The fight’s exaggerated insults and the livestream comments keep the tone playful even as the threat escalates.

Plot points and events

• Wang and the others dispose of the milk tea after realizing it may be part of Yang Hua’s scheme. Tang Lin and Han Feng do the same, and Tang Lin warns Fang Cheng by phone not to answer the door.
• Tang Lin and Han Feng bicker over who gets the bed, with Han Feng forcing Tang Lin onto the couch.
• Tang Shiba learns that Yang Hua plans to check who drank the tea: she will sell anyone who doesn’t answer their door, while spraying poison gas at those who open it.
• Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu decide to use a fake Yang Hua to prevent the group from being separated. She tells the others to pretend to sleep and ignore any sounds.
• That night, the real Yang Hua approaches Tang Shiba’s room, but Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu pull her inside, gag and tie her up, take her phone, and injure her leg. Tang Shiba taunts her by claiming they are robbers.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Lin is anxious about the danger but also restless and jealous of his siblings’ romantic relationships. He tries to provoke Han Feng, who responds with threats and keeps control of the sleeping arrangements.
• Han Feng remains irritable and physically intimidating, while Tang Lin alternates between needling him and backing down.
• Tang Shiba is playful and mischievous with Si Wuyu, but becomes ruthless when confronting Yang Hua, whom she regards as a human trafficker.
• Si Wuyu is affectionate with Tang Shiba and supports her plan, while his intimidating stare helps frighten Yang Hua.
• Yang Hua shifts from would-be predator to captive, panicking when her attempt to enter Tang Shiba’s room is thwarted.
• The livestream audience hears private conversations and eagerly speculates, but cannot see the events because the video feed is dark.

Significant themes

• Turning the trap around: The group anticipates Yang Hua’s scheme and uses her own plan against her.
• Trust and solidarity: Tang Shiba’s precautions are aimed at keeping the group together and safe.
• Comedy amid danger: Roommate squabbles, romantic teasing, and the “we’re robbers” joke contrast with the serious threat of trafficking and violence.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba prepares to replace the captive Yang Hua with a lifelike doll, keeping Si Wuyu out of the way. Yang Hua sees Tang pull human skin from the bathroom and faints in terror.
• Tang inflates and activates a doll made to look like Yang Hua. With the livestream video off, she sends it out to check Yang Hua’s phone and then sell the traffickers’ group for five million.
• Tang and Si Wuyu pretend to be asleep when the traffickers break into the room. The doll insists they be taken together as a couple, so the criminals carry them out on a stretcher.
• Fans listening to the audio-only livestream realize the group may be in danger. Their fan chats speculate that the stars are safe because they planned to pretend to sleep. Madam Fang panics about her son being abroad, while her husband sets out to calm her.
• Tang, Si Wuyu, Tang Lin, and the others are loaded into a truck. Tang falls asleep in Si Wuyu’s arms, but the rough road jolts them awake.
• When some traffickers consider taking advantage of the women, Tang suddenly sits up and pretends to be sleepwalking. The chapter ends as she rises like a zombie, preparing to attack them.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains audacious and calculating, using her doll and the traffickers’ assumptions to control events. She also prioritizes sleep and turns the truck ride into an opportunity to fight back.
• Si Wuyu is compliant and affectionate: he follows Tang’s instructions, holds her protectively, and stays beside her as they are carried away.
• Tang Lin trusts his sister’s plan and goes back to sleep when she does.
• Yang Hua is overwhelmed by fear after seeing the human-skin disguise and faints.
• The fans move from alarm to reassurance, while Madam Fang remains deeply anxious about her son’s safety.

Significant themes

• Deception and performance: Tang uses disguises, pretending, and the livestream’s limited audio to mislead both criminals and viewers.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter plays the kidnapping and impending violence for comedy, especially through Tang and Si Wuyu’s affectionate “sleeping” act.
• Trust and protection: Tang’s companions follow her lead, and Si Wuyu’s closeness conveys his desire to keep her safe.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba sleepwalks through the van and mistakes the traffickers for melons, pummelling them unconscious. The others pretend to be asleep so they won’t expose her—or themselves.
• Si Wuyu gently massages Tang Shiba’s sore wrists and kisses her hand. The group decides to wait and see what the traffickers intend to do rather than reveal their mission.
• Tang Lin urgently needs to urinate. When the van stops at a checkpoint near the Jade Country border, he, Fang Cheng, and Director Wang use the driver’s open door to slip into the bushes.
• The driver draws a gun and threatens those still in the van, but the three return without realizing the danger. The group stays composed, and the driver, suspicious but unable to stop them, resumes driving.
• They reach their destination. The battered traffickers wake and are relieved to find the captives apparently unchanged, then discover one of them was beaten by a sleepwalking woman.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba’s extraordinary strength emerges in her sleepwalking; she is cheerful and playful even while unknowingly beating the traffickers. She also keeps the group’s mission and Director Wang’s identity protected.
• Si Wuyu shows tenderness toward Tang Shiba, while her inner thoughts reveal growing attraction to him.
• Tang Lin’s embarrassment over needing the toilet fuels comic teasing, especially from Fang Cheng, though Fang Cheng also has the same urgent need.
• The group acts with remarkable composure during the driver’s armed threat, treating him almost casually once the others return. The traffickers, meanwhile, are too intimidated by Tang Shiba to fight back.

Significant themes

• Comedy amid danger: Sleepwalking violence, toilet-related embarrassment, and teasing contrast with kidnapping, trafficking, and a gun threat.
• Strength and restraint: Tang Shiba can overpower the traffickers, but her internal system urges her not to kill them; the group also avoids escalating the situation.
• Trust and teamwork: The captives coordinate their behavior and keep their real purpose concealed while navigating a dangerous situation.
• Romantic affection: Si Wuyu’s gentle care and Tang Shiba’s private reaction add warmth to the tense episode.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba and her companions are taken toward a heavily armed scam compound. Her system warns that entering will make escape difficult, while the livestream audience sees their captors’ weapons and learns that a rescue effort is being coordinated.
• Shiba’s gossip reveals that Director Wang plans to use the captives’ identities to pressure Jade Country’s police into cooperating with the rescue.
• At the river, the traffickers sell the group to the compound’s leader for twenty million Dragon Country currency. The leader and her underlings leer at the captives and threaten them.
• Shiba identifies the leader as a transgender woman and, when threatened, claims she can perform sex-reassignment surgery. Her companions quickly reinforce the bluff, presenting her as a gifted surgeon in hopes of gaining leverage.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains bold and quick-thinking, using provocation and an improvised medical claim rather than openly challenging the armed group.
• Shanshan is frightened by the danger but can again hear Shiba’s thoughts, which excites her; she seeks comfort from her brother.
• Han Feng appears barely restrained and intensely focused on the weapons, while Tang Lin warns him not to lose his temper. The two bicker until Su Chen silences them.
• Si Wuyu stays close to Shiba and is ready to protect her, though she reassures him that she can handle the leader.
• Su Chen takes a protective, calming role with Shanshan.

Significant themes

• Danger and powerlessness: The captives face armed traffickers and a compound where weapons are common, making escape seem uncertain.
• Resourcefulness under pressure: Shiba uses confidence, performance, and a targeted bluff to turn a threat into a possible opening.
• Protection and solidarity: The group watches out for one another, and Shiba’s companions immediately support her story.
• Public attention and rescue: The livestream connects the crisis to a wider audience and a developing police response.

Character interactions

• Shiba and the system discuss the danger of the compound, while the system proposes limiting who can hear the group’s gossip.
• Shanshan reacts to hearing Shiba’s thoughts and tells Tang Lin she can “quack” again; Fang Cheng joins in.
• Tang Lin and Han Feng argue, but Su Chen’s intervention stops them.
• Shiba reassures Si Wuyu, then confronts the leader directly. When Shiba claims to be a surgeon, Fang Cheng and Tang Lin back her up, turning her bluff into a group effort.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba’s group tries to convince the Scammers that Shanshan used to be a man, prompting Su Chen and Director Wang to join the absurd story. Their straight-faced claims leave the woman in charge and the livestream audience stunned.
• The woman threatens Tang Shiba, then orders the group taken to the Fourth District. When a lackey nearly pokes Tang Shiba with his weapon, Si Wuyu disarms him and throws it into the river.
• The Scammers demand that Si Wuyu retrieve the weapon. Tang Shiba refuses to let him enter the water and taunts the lackeys, while Shanshan stages a fall and accuses one of them of shoving her.
• The woman fires into the air to restore order and orders Si Wuyu into the river. The group realizes it is guarded by giant crocodiles, which the Scammers use to prevent escapes.
• Rather than react with fear, Tang Lin, Tang Shiba, and Shanshan joke about the crocodiles and even talk about catching and cooking one, further enraging their captors.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains playful and provocative under threat, deflecting the Scammers’ demands and insisting Si Wuyu will not be forced into the river. Her teasing also draws attention to her beauty and confidence.
• Si Wuyu shows a fierce, protective streak when he quickly disarms the man who threatens Tang Shiba. His cold stare unsettles the woman in charge.
• Shanshan enthusiastically joins the group’s invented story, then uses a theatrical fall and tearful accusations to distract and embarrass the lackey.
• Tang Lin and Fang Cheng help sustain the group’s comic, nonsensical act; Fang Cheng innocently calls the crocodiles “little cuties.”
• Su Chen and Director Wang back Shanshan’s false account with increasingly ridiculous claims. The Scammers, especially their leader, grow frustrated as the group refuses to behave like frightened captives.

Significant themes

• Humor as defiance: The group uses absurd stories, teasing, and slapstick to resist intimidation.
• Solidarity and protection: The companions back one another up, particularly when Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu are threatened.
• Appearance versus reality: The invented backstories and the crocodiles’ jokingly cute description contrast with the characters’ dangerous reality.
• Public spectacle: Livestream viewers react to the unfolding chaos, turning the group’s ordeal into both a crisis and a comic performance.

Key plot points and events

• After reaching shore, Tang Shiba retrieves a guard’s weapon from the grass, baffling the kidnappers. When their leader threatens her, Tang pretends to divine her fate and warns she will die on the operating table unless Tang operates on her.
• A guard cautions the leader that Dragon Country’s metaphysical practitioners are dangerous to offend. Tang then correctly guesses that the leader has six younger sisters and a younger brother, winning her wary respect and buying the group time.
• Tang privately identifies the destination as a scam compound divided into six districts. The group is taken inside, while Tang Lin and Fang Cheng comically speculate about what kind of forced work awaits them.
• Viewers’ online group uses livestream screenshots and hackers to pinpoint the compound’s address in western Jade Country. They send it anonymously to police, who are thrilled and ask the tipsters to help map the compound’s interior.
• Tang and the others arrive during the shift change and see hundreds of people. Director Wang realizes the scale of the operation makes his mission especially difficult.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba uses confidence, theatrical fortune-telling, and personal insight to deter the compound’s leader rather than resorting to force. Her companions admire her skill at “playing mystic.”
• The woman leading the kidnappers shifts from openly threatening Tang to cautious uncertainty after Tang’s warnings and accurate family reading.
• Tang Lin, Fang Cheng, and Shanshan provide comic relief through their confused, increasingly absurd guesses about the compound’s purpose; their chatter exasperates the kidnappers.
• The livestream viewers and hackers move from joking and cheering to practical intervention, locating the compound and alerting the police. One hacker hesitates over the prospect of a permanent government job because it might interfere with group fun.
• Director Wang remains focused on the rescue mission, but the compound’s size clearly weighs on him.

Significant themes

• Humor amid danger: The captives’ banter and the viewers’ jokes contrast with the serious threat of human trafficking.
• Resourcefulness and performance: Tang turns a supposed fortune-telling act into a tactical tool, showing how wit and observation can create leverage.
• Collective action: Livestream viewers, hackers, and police cooperate remotely, demonstrating the potential of online communities to support real-world rescue efforts.
• The scale of exploitation: The compound’s hundreds of occupants and six specialized districts reveal the trafficking operation’s scope and the challenges of dismantling it.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba and her group arrive at a factory-like compound that is actually a scam operation. The captives already inside recognize the newcomers, while livestream viewers trade jokes and stories about scam calls.
• The group’s striking looks attract immediate attention. Tang Lin and Fang Cheng cheerfully play along with the crowd, while Han Feng teases them; Shanshan joins in. Their casual manner unsettles the woman escorting them, who is used to newcomers arriving terrified.
• The captives argue about the compound’s managers and the newcomers, revealing a tense environment where violence is forbidden but hostility simmers.
• As the group is escorted through a dim basement corridor, Tang Shiba tells the System to memorize the route and map the compound, potentially aiding a police raid.
• They enter a smoky, darkly decorated room where the managers are partying. The boss eagerly sizes up the newcomers as potential earners. The escorting woman hopes to have Tang Shiba assigned to her so she can pursue gender-affirming surgery.
• When the boss reaches toward the nervous Shanshan, Su Chen grabs his hand and warns him not to touch her. The boss’s armed guards immediately aim their weapons at Su Chen.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba stays observant and pragmatic beneath the group’s playful behavior, prioritizing a map of the compound.
• Tang Lin and Fang Cheng thrive on attention and banter as if at a fan event, prompting Han Feng’s exasperated teasing.
• Shanshan joins their joking, while Su Chen becomes fiercely protective when the boss approaches her.
• Director Wang silently resents the captives’ prejudice toward him for appearing as a ladyboy.
• The escorting woman is increasingly doubtful of the newcomers’ composure, yet remains focused on her personal hope of surgery.
• The boss sees the newcomers chiefly as a source of profit and asserts control by trying to touch Shanshan; Su Chen’s intervention brings the confrontation to a dangerous standoff.

Significant themes

• Appearance and prejudice: The crowd fixates on the newcomers’ beauty and mocks Director Wang’s presentation, prompting his resentment of judging people by looks.
• Humor amid danger: The group’s joking contrasts sharply with their captivity and the oppressive compound.
• Exploitation and control: The scam operation treats people as resources, while the boss’s attempt to touch Shanshan shows how power extends beyond financial abuse.
• Resistance and protection: Tang Shiba’s quiet reconnaissance and Su Chen’s direct defense of Shanshan foreshadow ways the group may challenge the compound.

Plot and key events

• Su Chen humiliates the hostile boss by dropping his hand and wiping his own, provoking the boss to order his men to seize the newcomers. Shanshan tries to shield Su Chen.
• Tang Shiba steps in and proposes a fortune-telling wager: if she correctly predicts when the boss will die, he must agree to one condition. The boss refuses the bargain but demands that she read his fortune, threatening the group if she is wrong.
• Tang Shiba identifies signs of serious misfortune and privately uncovers that the boss has dark, itchy marks and is involved with a corpse. Alarmed by how much she knows, he abruptly orders the newcomers locked in a dark room.
• After they are taken away, the boss leaves to get a medical examination, determined to keep the marks—and the newcomers’ revelations—secret from his managers.
• In the dark room, Tang Shiba explains that the boss sleeps with the corpse of a revered abbot to draw in the wealth generated by its worship.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains playful and fearless under threat, using her divination act to expose the boss’s secrets and unsettle him.
• Su Chen stands up to the boss, while Shanshan instinctively protects him; Tang Shiba reassures Su Chen that she can handle the situation.
• Tang Lin supports his sister and tells the others to stop joking while she works. Han Feng keeps Fang Cheng back, and their bickering provides comic relief amid the danger.
• The boss shifts from contemptuous confidence to fear and suspicion once Tang Shiba reveals information he believed was private.
• The livestream audience reacts with outrage at the boss’s cruelty and disgust at his corpse-related practices, while also cheering Tang Shiba on.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts the boss’s power and threats with Tang Shiba’s composure and knowledge.
• Livestream spectatorship highlights how public exposure can challenge abuses hidden from the outside world.
• Dark revelations and supernatural fortune-telling are balanced with teasing banter and comic group dynamics.

Key plot points and events

• In the pitch-dark room, Fang Cheng panics when Tang Shiba convinces him someone is standing beside him. A chain of mistaken identities leads Tang Lin to hug Han Feng, who hits him; Tang Lin retaliates by pinning Han Feng down.
• Tang Shiba tells the group that a recently deceased corpse was purchased before it could be embalmed and had begun rotting. The gruesome story makes Fang Cheng and Shanshan vomit, setting off more nausea among the group and livestream viewers.
• Tang Shiba senses six management staff approaching and shares gossip about them. One woman tries to take Su Chen away, but he refuses to leave without his companions. Another grabs Director Wang, who assumes he is being targeted and tries to escape.
• The group learns Director Wang is being taken to perform a dance for vicious dogs—and may be eaten if he fails. With the captors armed, Tang Shiba redeems Peach Blossom Madness Powder and Soul-Transferring Incense. She gives Director Wang a sachet under the guise of a tearful farewell, and he understands it is meant to help him.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains playful and mischievous, using her supernatural gossip-listening ability to expose others’ secrets. When the group is in danger, she takes action and quietly gives Director Wang a possible means of escape.
• Fang Cheng is especially fearful in the dark and reacts strongly to both Tang Shiba’s teasing and the corpse story.
• Tang Lin and Han Feng continue their combative, rough-edged dynamic, turning a mistaken embrace into a scuffle and wrestling match.
• Su Chen stays composed and loyal, refusing to abandon his companions.
• Director Wang shifts from panic and frantic flight to cooperating with Tang Shiba’s plan.
• The management staff are presented as threatening captors; Tang Shiba’s revelations also expose the woman’s cruel private tastes and emotional history.

Significant themes

• Horror mixed with comedy: The dark room, rotten corpse, and threat of being fed to vicious dogs are repeatedly undercut by pranks, slapstick, and exaggerated reactions.
• Trust and solidarity: Su Chen refuses to leave the group, while Tang Shiba risks intervening to help Director Wang.
• Hidden identities and private lives: Tang Shiba’s gossip reveals that people’s public manner can conceal disturbing behavior and personal wounds.
• Resourcefulness under threat: The group is outmatched by armed captors, so Tang Shiba relies on improvised supernatural items rather than direct confrontation.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba’s teasing frightens Fang Cheng, while Tang Lin tries to comfort him—only to mistake Han Feng for him and get attacked.
• Tang Lin and Han Feng’s rivalry becomes physical, with Tang Lin briefly gaining the upper hand.
• Su Chen calmly rejects the woman’s offer to escape alone.
• Director Wang’s frantic chase and collapse provide comic relief, before Tang Shiba signals a plan by passing him the sachet.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba and Su Chen agree to leave with the managers rather than risk an immediate fight. Tang slips Su Chen a lighter for protection, while Director Wang is led away separately.
• Si Wuyu wants to act, but Tang Shiba stops him until they obtain a layout map. He remains behind with the others and decides they must wait.
• The Cloud City police locate the compound. Though Jade Country’s police refuse to help, a donation of 100 million from Tang Shiba’s eldest brother spurs the captain to prepare an armed raid and arrange a Special Forces ambush.
• Tang Shiba and Shanshan are taken to Zone Two, a women-only section whose work involves luring people through sexual appeal. The managers’ urgency suggests they have their own plans and want to move the women before the boss returns.
• The two women are assigned to a six-person dormitory and warned not to attempt escape. Hungry after a day without food, they head to the convenience store to collect toiletries and find something to eat.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains bold and composed, using humor, a needle, and careful judgment to manage danger. She reassures her anxious brother and focuses on resting before taking action.
• Su Chen cooperates without resistance and responds warmly to Tang’s concern.
• Si Wuyu struggles to restrain his urge to intervene but accepts Tang’s plan and prioritizes her safety.
• Tang Lin is frightened and feels helpless, while Shanshan grows more confident once she is with Tang Shiba.
• Director Wang is left to face the managers’ “vicious dogs,” while his undercover experience is presented as a reason he can handle himself.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba encourages Su Chen and gives him a lighter; he understands her gesture as protective and affectionate.
• She calms Si Wuyu with a reassuring touch, then tells Tang Lin that Han Feng will protect the group.
• Shanshan chooses to follow Tang Shiba, feeling safer with her than with her own brother.
• Tang Shiba needles a manager who tries to touch her, stinging him with a needle and making clear she will not be intimidated.
• The livestream audience and villagers pray for Tang Shiba’s safe return, showing how strongly people support her.

Significant themes

• Trust and mutual protection: The separated characters rely on one another’s judgment and small acts of care.
• Courage under coercion: Tang Shiba meets threats with composure and wit rather than panic.
• Strategic patience: She delays confrontation until the group has the information needed to act effectively.
• Exploitation and danger: Zone Two’s purpose and the managers’ scheming underline the compound’s predatory system.

Plot points and events

• Hungry after missing mealtime, Tang Shiba and Shanshan return to their dorm with supplies, but the other residents refuse to let them in.
• Encouraged by Tang Shiba, Shanshan kicks the door; Tang Shiba then knocks it completely off its hinges, trapping one of the women beneath it.
• The hostile dorm residents confront the newcomers. Shanshan trades insults with them until four women move to attack.
• Shanshan grabs one attacker, pins her to a bed, and bites her neck while the others beat her.
• Tang Shiba steps in, pulls the attackers away, and knocks them down with slaps. She stops Shanshan before the bite becomes more serious.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is physically formidable and unflappable. She lets Shanshan take the lead at first, but intervenes decisively when the fight turns dangerous.
• Shanshan grows bolder, enthusiastically backing Tang Shiba and holding her own in the confrontation. Her bravado gives way to startling, near-feral aggression when she is attacked.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: The dorm’s established hierarchy—reinforced by management’s favoritism toward a “top seller”—is challenged by the newcomers’ refusal to submit.
• Loyalty and protection: Tang Shiba encourages Shanshan and ultimately protects her and the other residents from the fight escalating further.
• Comic exaggeration: The dramatic door-kicking, livestream reactions, insults, and biting turn a hostile confrontation into dark comedy.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba and Shanshan act as an increasingly confident team: Shanshan confronts the residents while Tang Shiba watches, then steps in when needed.
• The other women initially rely on numbers and threats, but are quickly overwhelmed.
• The dorm’s onlookers and livestream audience comment on the spectacle, amplifying its humor and the newcomers’ growing legend.

Key plot points and events

• After Shanshan bites a fellow resident, supervisors arrive to punish her and Tang Shiba. Tang openly admits she broke down the door and fought the women, refusing to show remorse.
• The supervisors try to drag the pair away and attack Tang with stun batons. She dodges them and beats them back with a slipper, while Shanshan cheers her on. The supervisors retreat, and the watching residents begin to hope Tang might stand up to the facility’s abuse.
• Tang orders the four women in the dorm to repair the damaged door. They comply, then share snacks and instant noodles with Tang and Shanshan, who are still hungry.
• The chapter ends with the residents warning them about mandatory morning exercise and a five-kilometer penalty for being late. When a woman named Xiu’er cries that she misses home, Tang predicts she will be able to return soon. She also tells Xiao Xin that her husband is cheating and has had a child, unsettling her.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is bold, physically capable, irreverent, and protective of Shanshan. She challenges both the residents who mistreat newcomers and the supervisors who wield authority, earning the hallway residents’ respect.
• Shanshan remains devoted to Tang, praising her enthusiastically and celebrating her victory. Though exhausted, she readily falls asleep.
• The dorm residents shift from fearful compliance to cooperating with Tang, fixing the door and sharing food. They are impressed by her defiance, though some doubt her promise that they can go home.
• The supervisors are exposed as bullies who rely on force; after Tang defeats them, they flee while threatening revenge.
• Xiao Xin is shaken by Tang’s seemingly accurate claim about her husband, leaving her uneasy through the night.

Significant themes

• Resistance to abuse of power: Tang’s refusal to submit disrupts the supervisors’ control.
• Solidarity and hope: Tang’s courage encourages the residents, while small acts such as sharing food create a sense of mutual support.
• Hardship and exploitation: The residents face hunger, coercive rules, and meager rewards despite their labor.
• Humor amid adversity: Tang’s insults, Shanshan’s fangirl enthusiasm, and the livestream’s commentary lighten the tense setting.

Key events

• Director Wang arrives in Zone One, a place for people the compound considers useless. His bunkmate’s nighttime convulsions keep him awake, though the roommate innocently assumes Wang is tired from being new.
• Wang learns that many residents have been deliberately maimed and forced to beg. Anyone who brings in the least money must dance for two vicious dogs; the overseers let the dogs attack if they dislike the performance.
• A cruel overseer singles Wang out as the newcomer and insists he is subject to the same rules. Wang joins two others onstage, clutching a sachet given to him by Tang Shiba.
• Unsure how to use it, Wang empties the sachet over himself and begins dancing. The dogs become strangely fixated on him. When they are released, they knock him down—but instead of attacking, they behave suggestively toward him, leaving the crowd bewildered.

Character developments and interactions

• Director Wang stays outwardly composed despite his fear and anger. He shows compassion by trying to shield the two other dancers when they freeze in terror, even as he prepares to face the dogs.
• Wang’s bunkmate is friendly and sympathetic, but oblivious to the disturbance he caused overnight.
• The overseer is openly sadistic, treating the disabled residents as disposable and deliberately targeting Wang.
• The Livestream viewers react with horror to the compound’s cruelty and ridicule the overseer, while the Black Treasures arrange to identify her and pass information to the police.
• Wang’s unexpected effect on the dogs turns a terrifying punishment into an absurd, shocking spectacle.

Significant themes

• The chapter exposes the compound’s dehumanization and exploitation of vulnerable people, including the deliberate maiming of beggars.
• It contrasts Wang’s restraint and compassion with the overseer’s cruelty.
• Dark humor and absurdity undercut the scene’s horror, especially in the baffling twist involving the dogs.

Plot points and events

• Director Wang kills the Zone One supervisor’s two vicious dogs with a concealed blade after they attack him. When the supervisor attacks him in grief and fury, he slaps her—but her subordinates seize him at gunpoint.
• The supervisor has Wang beaten and taken to the isolation room, threatening to torture him depending on whether the dogs survive. Though she intimidates the crowd, Wang’s defiance has made some prisoners realize the supervisors may be challenged.
• News of the incident spreads to other zones. Su Chen learns about Wang’s fate just as another supervisor brings him to an isolation room, whip in hand, intending to break his resistance.
• Su Chen avoids provoking her and instead uses his calm demeanor and good looks to defuse the situation. He suggests that she brought him there to talk and invites her to sit beside him.

Character developments and interactions

• Director Wang is revealed as resourceful, ruthless, and defiant. He acts decisively against the dangerous dogs, but his boldness leads to a brutal beating and captivity.
• The Zone One supervisor is fiercely attached to her dogs and responds to their deaths with grief and revenge. Her threats briefly silence the crowd, but her authority has been shaken.
• Su Chen remains composed and unafraid, choosing charm and conversation over force. His calm approach momentarily unsettles the supervisor and delays her planned punishment.
• The prisoners watch Wang’s confrontation with the supervisor and begin to see the possibility of resisting their oppressors. The livestream audience reacts with shock, jokes, and speculation about Su Chen’s strategy.

Significant themes

• Defiance and shifting power: Wang’s actions challenge the supervisors’ apparent invulnerability and inspire others to reconsider their submission.
• Violence and authority: The supervisors rely on threats and force to maintain control, while Wang’s rebellion exposes the fragility of that control.
• Strategy over strength: Wang uses concealed weapons; Su Chen uses charm and emotional composure—both choose tactics suited to their immediate circumstances.

Chapter summary

• Su Chen wins over a female sadist with an earnest, flattering approach, while livestream viewers joke that she has fallen for his good looks.
• After two days in the Small Black Room, Si Wuyu, Han Feng, Fang Cheng, and Tang Lin are released—hungry and furious. Xiao, their armed escort, refuses to take them for food.
• Tang Lin and Fang Cheng relentlessly taunt Xiao, including mocking her appearance and gender presentation. When she tries to hit Fang Cheng, Si Wuyu steps in and challenges her instead. He quickly defeats her, forcing her armed subordinates to intervene.
• Fang Cheng and Tang Lin keep needling Xiao and her group until she gives in and leads them to the cafeteria. They joke about being “proud, upstanding citizens” and celebrate their small victory.
• The newcomers are served watery rice with almost no food. Fang Cheng and Tang Lin smash their bowls and protest, exposing how normalized the Compound’s mistreatment has become: other residents explain that newcomers receive meager meals unless they produce results.
• Rather than accept the food or give up, the pair learn that the managers eat upstairs and head there. Si Wuyu and Han Feng quietly flank the four managers, while Fang Cheng and Tang Lin confront them, objecting to the Compound’s rigid class hierarchy.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Cheng and Tang Lin use humor, provocation, and shameless persistence to resist authority and secure food. Their antics frustrate their captors but entertain the other residents and livestream audience.
• Si Wuyu remains composed and capable, stepping in to protect Fang Cheng and easily overpowering Xiao. His amusement at the younger men’s behavior shows growing appreciation for their unconventional usefulness.
• Han Feng participates more quietly, coordinating with Si Wuyu as they prepare to confront the managers.
• Xiao moves from threatening control to anger and embarrassment, then reluctantly yields when the group refuses to be intimidated.
• The chapter contrasts the men’s boisterous resistance with the residents’ weary acceptance of deprivation.

Significant themes

• Resistance through solidarity and defiance: The group refuses to comply quietly, using teamwork and persistence against coercive authority.
• Institutional inequality and dehumanization: Food is scarce, newcomers are deliberately mistreated, and residents are ranked by status and productivity.
• Humor as a survival tactic: The characters’ teasing and absurd bravado provide relief while undermining the Compound’s power.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Cheng, Tang Lin, Si Wuyu, and Han Feng overpower four managers in the cafeteria and eat the managers’ lavish meal. They invite the starving residents downstairs to share it; the crowd rushes upstairs and devours what remains.
• The group leaves before the managers wake, but Ladyboy soon orders them to the Detention Room. There, they learn it differs from the empty Small Black Room because it contains torture equipment.
• The men discover that Director Wang is in the First District, a place for disabled people, and worry that he may be in danger.
• Si Wuyu studies the room and explains that the Compound has six districts arranged like a six-pointed star, with walls between them. He deduces that a shortcut to the other districts lies in the boss’s room.
• The group decides to stay in the Detention Room rather than attempt escape immediately, since the managers may know where the boss’s room is. When the four managers return armed, the newcomers remain unafraid, setting up another confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Si Wuyu demonstrates sharp observational and spatial reasoning, inferring the Compound’s layout from their brief journey and identifying a likely route between districts. His concern intensifies when he hears Director Wang is in the First District.
• Fang Cheng and Tang Lin act quickly to subdue the managers and are eager to help their fellow residents. Their humor over the managers’ predicament gives way to alarm about Director Wang.
• Han Feng is blunt and confrontational, readily challenging the managers and suggesting an escape route through the ventilation opening.
• The group’s camaraderie is evident in how they share food, plan together, and respond collectively to news that one of their companions may be at risk.

Significant themes

• Class inequality and shared resistance: The managers’ rich meal contrasts with the residents’ watery food. By inviting others to eat, the group briefly turns the managers’ privilege into a communal resource.
• Solidarity and survival: The residents risk punishment for a full stomach, while the newcomers prioritize finding their missing companion.
• Ingenuity over force: Si Wuyu’s ability to read the environment offers a strategic alternative to a direct escape, even as violence remains an immediate threat.

Plot points and events

• Tang Lin and Fang Cheng distract the guards by pretending to cooperate with being tied up. Han Feng disarms their supervisor, while Si Wuyu takes down the other guards. The group binds all four men and questions them.
• The guards reveal that their boss’s room is room six in the basement. They also say the two girls are being held in section two, which houses women. Fang Cheng whips one guard for speaking lewdly about the section.
• Tang Lin and Han Feng climb through a ventilation duct to search for the boss’s room. Tang Lin picks the lock on room six, and they slip inside just as the boss arrives.
• They hide under the bed and discover a corpse in the room by its awful smell. The boss enters, prays to a “venerable monk” for a windfall of riches, and kowtows toward the bed—leaving Tang Lin stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Lin and Fang Cheng use humor and feigned compliance to help overcome the guards. Tang Lin also reveals a knack for picking locks, while his teasing banter with Han Feng continues during their escape through the vent.
• Han Feng acts quickly and forcefully in the fight and interrogation, but depends on Tang Lin’s height and help to reach the vent.
• Si Wuyu is efficient in combat and visibly more volatile without Tang Shiba nearby. His cold, obsessive side contrasts with his usual public image and delights the livestream audience.
• Tang Lin and Han Feng work together cautiously once inside the basement, hiding when the boss appears.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and improvisation: The group combines distraction, combat, questioning, and lock-picking to advance.
• Humor amid danger: Jokes and teasing persist through the rescue operation, while the livestream audience adds comic commentary.
• Cruelty and exploitation: The guards’ remarks about the women’s section hint at the captives’ danger.
• Greed and grotesque devotion: The boss’s plea for wealth to a corpse creates an unsettling mystery and ends the chapter on a shocking, darkly comic note.