Chapter Summaries

Li Wei led the representatives into the House of Death after soldiers sent inside to retrieve a girl disappeared. The house plunged into darkness, and when the lights came on, Li Wei found himself alone.

• Li Wei discussed the mission with Katie, Anthony, Henry, and Elizabeth, while Henry dismissed the reports and Elizabeth described the Church’s findings about similar incidents.
• Henry said he had sent two squads to secure the House of Death, but the corporal reported that the second squad had entered after a little girl and never returned.
• Li Wei told the corporal to wait until sunset before burning the house if the group did not return, and warned him not to trust anything he saw.
• Henry led Li Wei and the others into the House of Death, where the front door suddenly slammed shut and plunged them into darkness.
• When the lights came on, Li Wei found that everyone else had vanished.

Li Wei explored the haunted house, where dolls reenacted scenes from the lives of its former inhabitants, and discovered that the events were connected to a blood-red ring. When a doll attacked him, he destroyed it and freed Katie, who had been trapped as another doll.

• Li Wei entered a banquet room filled with dolls, found a portrait showing a blood-red ring, and received a quest to find the house's source of evil.
• Li Wei realized the ring was connected to the vampire investigation and that the quest reward would grant him authorization to own it.
• Li Wei followed the dolls' reenactments upstairs and found a scene in which a man threatened a woman while two children lay dead.
• Li Wei spotted the same ring in a portrait, saw the male doll attack him, and shot its head apart after dodging its knife with Shadow Movement.
• Katie emerged from a flash of light and told Li Wei that she had thought she was going to die.

Anthony nearly died by hanging after falling under the influence of a Doll, but Li Wei and Katie rescued him. The three reached the cellar door, the only part of the house they had not searched, and prepared to investigate.

• Anthony’s wife left him during a storm, and he tried to hang himself before a force threw him into a wall.
• Li Wei and Katie explained that Anthony and Katie had experienced the memories of Dolls, and Li Wei warned that the house’s dangers might only be beginning.
• Li Wei led Katie and Anthony toward the cellar while they noticed the maid Dolls moving and pointing the way.
• The maid Doll vanished after the group thanked her, and Li Wei stopped at the cellar door and warned them to be careful.

Li Wei, Katie, and Anthony freed Henry from the doll controlling him, then realized Elizabeth was likely trapped in the young master’s room. As crude dolls emerged from the shadows, Li Wei and the others prepared to fight their way forward.

• Henry attacked Li Wei, Katie, and Anthony with a shotgun, believing his family had betrayed him.
• Li Wei used Anthony’s lighter to create a distraction, dodged Henry’s shotgun blast with Shadow Movement, and shot the weapon from his hand.
• Katie struck Henry and freed him from the doll controlling him, and Henry described the rage and despair he had felt.
• Li Wei connected their experiences to the house’s previous owners and concluded Elizabeth was likely trapped in the young master’s room.
• Crude, unfinished dolls emerged from the shadows, and Li Wei, Katie, and Anthony faced the approaching threat.

Li Wei and his teammates fought through the Dolls and found the young master’s room, where they discovered a murdered soldier and the boy’s gruesome Doll-making work. When animated soldier-Dolls appeared and aimed their weapons at the group, Li Wei ordered everyone to run.

• Katie and Henry fought the attacking Dolls while Li Wei covered them with precise gunfire and earned Henry and Anthony’s respect.
• The group reached the young master’s room, kicked open the door, and found it crowded with Dolls.
• The boy revealed that he hated humans and preferred Dolls that obeyed him, while two maid Dolls worked over the disemboweled body of soldier Carter.
• Henry moved toward the boy, but Li Wei used Soul Sight to detect danger in the crimson haze and knocked Henry down as a shot passed them.
• A mechanical soldier-Doll appeared, followed by more armed soldiers, and Li Wei shouted for the group to run.

Li Wei and the others escaped a room and fought a squad of undead soldiers before Elizabeth explained how a mysterious man used a Doll to revive Stephen’s unconscious child, who was no longer himself. As soldiers closed in again, Li Wei prepared to deal with the immediate threat.

• Li Wei and his companions fled gunfire and a grenade, then discovered that the soldiers kept attacking despite being shot.
• Li Wei used a red bullet to set one soldier ablaze, but the others forced the group to take shelter in a nearby room.
• Elizabeth revealed that she still had her own consciousness and warned that the child was not their true enemy.
• Elizabeth recounted how Stephen’s wife traded a Lancaster Family ring for a Doll that woke her injured child, who later became strange and was no longer himself.
• Li Wei questioned whether the ring was Crimson Temptation, then heard soldiers approaching as Anthony signaled that they were nearby.

Li Wei and his companions escaped the soldiers, but a giant doll controlled Henry and Katie with scarlet threads. Using his occult resistance and abilities, Li Wei reached the doll and shot it in the face, provoking a scream.

• Li Wei, Katie, Henry, and Anthony defeated the soldiers with a bookcase and grenades, then returned to the room with Elizabeth.
• Henry and Katie suddenly attacked Li Wei while the fat boy taunted them, and Li Wei dodged their blows.
• Li Wei used Soul Sight to discover scarlet threads controlling Henry and Katie and traced them to a giant doll outside the room.
• Li Wei realized his occult resistance might protect his possessions, then used Death's Eye and Soul Sight to leap toward the doll.
• Li Wei fired all his remaining bullets into the doll's face, and it screamed.

Li Wei destroyed the giant doll’s glowing core with three consecutive uses of Death's Eye, ending the Haunted House investigation. After the survivors handled the aftermath, Li Wei returned to Moonlight Splendor and bought the Crimson Temptation ring, fulfilling an additional condition.

• Li Wei used Death's Eye three times to attack the doll and shattered its scarlet core, then collapsed from the strain.
• Li Wei confirmed the threat was eliminated after the mission notification appeared and discovered a doll embedded in the dead boy’s corpse.
• Li Wei, Katie, and Henry left the Haunted House, learned less than two hours had passed, and arranged for the bodies and house to be dealt with.
• Li Wei returned to Military Intelligence Section Seven to report before going to Moonlight Splendor to secure the Crimson Temptation ring.
• Li Wei bought the ring and slipped it onto his index finger, triggering the system’s notice that an additional condition had been fulfilled.

After completing the Haunted House mission, Li Wei gained lifespan and chose the creation specialization of Puppeteer so he could build a durable shield. He went with Erin to Anvil Road to shop for materials, where she brought him to her uncle Hank’s steam mechanics shop.

• Li Wei reviewed his SSS mission reward, considered whether lifespan also functioned as a health bar, and wondered how the ring was connected to the Lancaster Family.
• Li Wei unlocked Puppeteer and chose creation manipulation, absorbing knowledge about making, repairing, and controlling creations.
• Li Wei asked Erin to help him find a hardware shop, and she offered to take him to one the next morning.
• Erin guided Li Wei through Anvil Road’s crowded steam-powered workshops to Kellida Steam Mechanics.
• Erin introduced Li Wei to her uncle Hank, who welcomed them and offered him a twenty percent discount.

Li Wei asked Uncle Hank to supply equipment for making small devices, then commissioned him to build a steam car based on Li Wei’s supercar design. Uncle Hank accepted the costly project, and Li Wei paid 500 pounds, trusting him because Erin had recommended him.

• Li Wei asked Uncle Hank to gather the equipment, instruments, and materials he needed, and Uncle Hank agreed to prepare them within an hour.
• Erin showed Li Wei around the factory and explained how steam machinery used fire essence and stored steam.
• Li Wei spotted Uncle Hank’s boxy steam car, tried driving it, and asked Uncle Hank to build him a car to his specifications.
• Li Wei sketched a low, streamlined supercar with a rear-mounted power system, and Uncle Hank grew excited about the design.
• Uncle Hank agreed to build the car and quoted 500 pounds for it and the requested equipment, and Li Wei handed him his Punched Card.

Li Wei investigated the Lancaster Family’s history and learned that the Ring had been found in their manor, now an abandoned crime scene. Inspector Lestrade recalled an oddity in the manor murders and agreed to accompany Li Wei there.

• Li Wei asked the old butler to investigate the Lancaster Family, reviewed the newspaper’s fictionalized account of the haunted house, and advised against using death-row inmates to test dangerous environments.
• An administrative officer gave Li Wei records showing that Lancaster Manor had been sold to the Brando Family and later abandoned after Coste Klopp murdered its owners.
• Li Wei visited Inspector Lestrade to ask about the manor murders, which Lestrade remembered from his early days in the police force.
• Inspector Lestrade said a postman had reported screams and the police had found Coste Klopp beside the victims, but the manor’s disorder seemed too extensive to have been caused by one person.
• Li Wei decided to inspect Lancaster Manor, and Inspector Lestrade eagerly offered to go with him.

Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade drove toward Lancaster Manor, where Li Wei planned to investigate a connection to an earlier case. After helping a newlywed couple whose rented steam car had broken down, they discovered their destination was the former manor, now called the Red Moon Inn.

• Inspector Lestrade left the Police Station with Li Wei and recalled the unsolved tragedy at Lancaster Manor.
• Lestrade told Li Wei that the manor’s owners had hosted themed parties before they were killed, and that their servants had worked only during the day.
• Lestrade and Li Wei stopped to help a newlywed couple whose rented steam car had a cracked water tank.
• Lestrade gave the couple a lift and towed their broken-down car as they continued toward a nearby inn.
• At dusk, the couple directed them to the Red Moon Inn, and Lestrade recognized it as the former manor.

Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade arrived at the Red Moon Inn, which had replaced the supposedly abandoned manor they intended to investigate. With no warrant to search the private property, they planned to see how things went before deciding what to do, and the chapter left them entering the dining room, where the other guests noticed Li Wei.

• Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade found the manor brightly lit and operating as the Red Moon Inn, despite records listing it as abandoned.
• Carter Bryan checked in with his wife, and Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade signed the register and received rooms.
• Li Wei settled into his spacious room, and Inspector Lestrade visited to discuss the difficulty of investigating the inn without a search warrant.
• A maid told Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade that dinner was ready, and Li Wei carried his mysterious rectangular case downstairs.
• Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade entered the communal dining room, where several guests were already seated and noticed Li Wei.

Li Wei attended dinner at the Red Moon Inn, where manager Cohen announced a séance as the evening’s entertainment. Li Wei objected to the ritual, but the manager led the remaining guests toward the recreation room.

• Li Wei met the other guests at dinner and chatted with Inspector Lestrade, who teased him for choosing rose tea instead of alcohol.
• Manager Cohen introduced himself and explained that the inn continued a former nobleman’s tradition of themed banquets and activities.
• Cohen announced that the activity would be a séance, and Li Wei objected, suggesting cards instead.
• Cohen said a specially invited medium would lead the séance and that the tradition would continue even without guests.
• A mother took her daughter upstairs, but the newlywed husband persuaded his reluctant wife to stay.
• Cohen invited the remaining guests to the recreation room, while Li Wei stayed wary of the séance.

Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade watched a séance in the hotel recreation room while Li Wei used Soul Sight to check whether it was genuine. A white figure entered the room, and a flash of lightning was followed by a scream.

• Li Wei decided to stay and observe the séance while Inspector Lestrade stood by the door.
• The manager arranged the guests around the spirit board as the elderly medium began summoning a spirit.
• Li Wei activated Soul Sight and saw the room’s objects take on a faint glow as the temperature dropped.
• A white human figure floated through the doorway and approached the table without Inspector Lestrade reacting.
• Thunder flashed through the darkened room, and someone screamed.

After the hotel manager died during the séance, Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade began investigating the guests. Li Wei accompanied Carl back to his room, where they found Carl’s wife unconscious and discovered that their daughter Alice had vanished during the storm.

• Li Wei and Inspector Lestrade found the hotel manager convulsing after the lights came on, and the manager died after pleading for his life.
• Inspector Lestrade ordered everyone to stay in the recreation room, while Li Wei escorted Carl back to his guest room.
• Carl told Li Wei that the manager had gone first during the séance and screamed after asking a question silently.
• Carl and Li Wei broke into the locked guest room and found Carl’s wife Maria unconscious on the floor.
• Maria woke and told Carl that Alice had disappeared after thunder startled her and she heard the girl scream.

After a little girl vanished from a locked guest room, Li Wei used his transforming feline puppet to search the inn from the roof. He spotted a faint light beneath the roof and sent the cat through the shadows toward it.

• Li Wei found no clues in the locked guest room and persuaded the girl's parents to go downstairs.
• Li Wei told Inspector Lestrade that the girl had disappeared and agreed to search alone while Lestrade watched the others.
• Li Wei transformed his briefcase into a black cat puppet and used [Puppeteer] to control it.
• Li Wei sent the cat onto the roof and used [Soul Sight] to locate a faint light below.
• Li Wei activated [Shadow Movement] and sent the cat toward the light.

Li Wei discovered a hidden cavern beneath the hotel and went there to rescue the missing girl. When he reached her, she woke with blood-red eyes and attacked him.

• Li Wei found an underground cavern containing a stone altar, a huge table, and the missing girl.
• Inspector Lestrade told Li Wei that the family of three had come to claim an inheritance after the hotel manager contacted them.
• Li Wei gave Inspector Lestrade silver bullets and set off to find the girl before time ran out.
• Li Wei used [Shadow Movement] to enter the cavern and approached the sleeping girl on the stone table.
• Li Wei's ruby ring began to glow, and the girl opened blood-red eyes before unleashing a blast of air at him.

Li Wei fought a Ghost Knight that had possessed the little girl beneath an underground temple, using his supernatural abilities and weapons while trying to save her. He activated Death’s Eye as the battle continued.

• Li Wei used Soul Sight and saw that a towering, armored Ghost Knight surrounded the little girl inside its chest.
• Li Wei dodged the knight’s attacks and found that silver bullets damaged its shield, then accepted the quest to escape the temple or eliminate the enemy.
• Li Wei fired an armor-piercing round, but the knight deflected it with its helmet, while his Doll cat clawed at the knight’s armor.
• The Ghost Knight unleashed a shock wave with its sword, and Li Wei avoided it with Shadow Shift.
• Li Wei chose not to harm the possessed girl and activated Death’s Eye to continue fighting the Ghost Knight.

Inspector Lestrade fought off the hotel manager’s ghost with Li Wei’s silver bullets while Li Wei battled the Ghost Knight and rescued the missing girl. The Ring absorbed the red tentacles binding her, and Li Wei left the ruins planning to have Military Intelligence Section Seven deal with the remaining danger.

• Inspector Lestrade woke everyone when someone pounded on the dining room door and warned them to stay away from it.
• The doors burst open, the lights went out, and the hotel manager’s ghost appeared, so Inspector Lestrade shot it with silver bullets until it vanished.
• Li Wei used [Death's Eye] to shatter the Ghost Knight’s defenses, and the Black Cat Doll pierced the red light inside its head.
• The Ring emitted a beam that broke apart the red tentacles binding the little girl and absorbed them.
• Li Wei diagnosed the girl as uninjured and unconscious, then decided Military Intelligence Section Seven would have to handle the ruins.