Chapter Summaries

After arriving in Mericia, Li Wei challenged the Phantom Killer’s reputation as a supernatural champion of justice, arguing that its selective killings exposed its political bias. He left the reporters with a public challenge to target Claiborne and the Continental Parliament, hoping to draw the killer out.

• Li Wei called Military Intelligence Section Seven, discussed the sea monster and the failed search for the package’s sender, and exchanged intelligence about the Phantom Killer with the old butler.
• A reporter asked whether Li Wei had come to Mericia for a vacation or to solve a case, and Li Wei announced that he was there to solve the Phantom Killer case.
• Li Wei rejected claims that the Phantom Killer was supernatural and questioned why it had not targeted criminals in Mericia, including Claiborne, who had escaped punishment for trafficking and abusing people.
• Li Wei argued that the Phantom Killer could not claim to embody justice while sparing local evildoers and killing only imperial supporters.
• The reporters left after Li Wei publicly challenged the Phantom Killer to act, and Li Wei waited to see whether it would respond.

Li Wei joined an Imperial unit as an adviser to draw out the Phantom Killer, while Governor Geller secretly redirected the troops to destroy a local militia arsenal. The unit headed toward Concord, and Li Wei prepared for possible trouble.

• A newspaper questioned whether the Phantom Killer served as the Continental Parliament’s private assassin, and Li Wei hoped the doubts would weaken the killer.
• Li Wei asked Governor Geller to make him an adviser so the Phantom Killer might target him, and Geller assigned him to accompany troops relieving a fortress garrison.
• Li Wei traveled with Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith’s unit and learned that shortages and equipment theft reflected the Empire’s weak control over Mericia.
• At a designated location, Smith opened Geller’s letter and learned that the unit was to destroy a local faction’s militia arsenal.
• Smith redirected the unit toward Concord, and Li Wei inspected his Persuader in case the mission brought trouble.

Li Wei used an alleged military intelligence leak to disarm and arrest the Clayington militiamen blocking the convoy, avoiding an immediate clash. After finding the Concord arsenal empty, Smith began withdrawing, while Captain Pike decided to attack the Imperial force; Li Wei sensed the ambush just as it was about to begin.

• Li Wei confronted the militiamen blocking the convoy and had them arrested after one revealed knowledge of the secret mission to Concord.
• Li Wei explained to Smith that the intelligence leak gave him a legal reason to detain the militia, and said he had shot their weapons from their hands.
• Smith's troops found the Concord arsenal empty and began returning along the main road.
• Captain Pike weighed whether to rescue the captured militiamen and decided to annihilate the Imperial force with his four thousand fighters.
• Li Wei opened his eyes and warned Smith that an attack was imminent.

Li Wei helped Lieutenant Colonel Smith’s troops repel Captain Pike’s militia ambush by using Soul Sight to direct the mechs’ bombardment. He fought the Phantom Killer, who escaped the final bombardment, leaving Li Wei determined to face them again.

• Lieutenant Colonel Smith ordered the troops into the forest and sent a Hound-Class Mech to request reinforcements, while Captain Pike launched the militia attack.
• Li Wei destroyed a rocket aimed at the Hound-Class Mech, then left the command vehicle to scout the enemy.
• Li Wei used Soul Sight and incendiary shots to mark hidden militia positions for the mechs, helping Lieutenant Colonel Smith’s troops turn the battle around.
• The Phantom Killer attacked Li Wei from the treetops, but Li Wei countered the assault and wounded the figure with his Persuader.
• Li Wei used a wall of fire to draw the Phantom Killer through the mechs’ line of fire, but the Phantom Killer escaped the bombardment.

After the militia’s defeat, Li Wei questioned Governor Geller about a possible leak and learned that Geller had discussed his plans with his Merician wife, Margaret. Li Wei obtained Geller’s authorization to travel to Feyhart City and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, intending to draw out the Phantom Killer.

• Imperial reinforcements drove the militia into retreat, and Li Wei told Governor Geller that the rebels had known about their operation.
• Governor Geller admitted that he had discussed his ideas with Margaret, and Li Wei advised him to test whether she had leaked information.
• Li Wei asked about indigenous tribes and learned that one reportedly lived in the distant Orlens Mountains.
• Li Wei decided to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Feyhart City, where they were preparing to hold the Second Continental Congress.
• Governor Geller issued Li Wei an order to arrest Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and their accomplices, and Li Wei prepared to leave for Feyhart City.

Li Wei secured a luxury train carriage to travel to Feyhart City with Mrs. Molly and Annie Branson, while Hancock and Adams learned he was coming with an arrest warrant. Claiborne urged them to kill Li Wei in exchange for his support, and Hancock decided they had no other choice.

• Li Wei rejected ships and carriages, paid to add a luxury carriage to the train bound for Feyhart City, and agreed to let Mrs. Molly and Annie Branson share it.
• Li Wei boarded the train, learned Annie had shipped the preserved sea monster home by airship, and went to sleep as the train departed.
• Hancock and Adams learned that Captain Pike's militia had been defeated while trying to rescue prisoners, splitting the Continental Parliament over whether to withdraw or fight.
• Claiborne offered to support Hancock and Adams if they helped kill Li Wei, revealing that Li Wei had commanded imperial troops at Clayington and was traveling to Feyhart City with an arrest warrant.
• Claiborne said Li Wei would arrive in three days, on the day of the Continental Parliament's meeting, and Hancock concluded they had no other choice.

Li Wei’s peaceful train journey ended when Jean D'Ilva challenged him to a duel after Li Wei intervened in his unwanted courtship of Annie. Li Wei disarmed Jean and, when Jean tried to shoot him afterward, killed him before returning to the train.

• Li Wei learned from Mrs. Molly that Annie had been orphaned and adopted, and that she was preparing for an academic exchange.
• A herd of bison stopped the train, and Annie sketched them in the observation car.
• Jean D'Ilva approached Annie with a rose, but Li Wei intervened and traded insults with him.
• Jean challenged Li Wei to a duel, and the train’s passengers gathered to watch them face off in the wilderness.
• At the signal, Li Wei shot the gun from Jean’s hand before Jean could fire.
• Jean drew a second gun and aimed at Li Wei, who shot him in the forehead and returned to the train.

Li Wei discovered that the man he killed in a duel was a Francis spy who had targeted him, and he kept a letter implicating Francis in plans to arm Mericia. As Li Wei went to bed, mercenaries working with the Continental Parliament prepared to attack his train and kill everyone aboard.

• Li Wei searched the dead passenger’s belongings and found a scrapbook and a letter revealing that he was a Francis spy involved in plans to supply Mericia with weapons.
• Li Wei realized the spy had targeted him after finding an article with his photograph and took the letter to show the old butler.
• Annie visited Li Wei to thank him for helping her, then left after he changed the subject.
• Li Wei went to bed, while a mercenary leader and his men waited in the rain to ambush the delayed train and kill Li Wei and the other passengers.
• The mercenaries charged toward the train when its headlights appeared.

Li Wei captured the mercenaries who attacked the Explorer, prompting Adams and Hancock to hire a strange cloaked killer to assassinate him. On the train’s final night before Feyhart City, Li Wei faced repeated attackers who looked like the Phantom Killer, leaving a third one at the doorway.

• During a storm, Li Wei killed the mercenaries attacking the Explorer and captured their leader, who was handed over to the Empire garrison.
• Adams and Hancock learned the attack had failed and decided to seek help from Claiborne’s recommended killer.
• Adams and Hancock visited a hut outside Feyhart City and paid a cloaked figure to kill Li Wei.
• Li Wei considered how the Phantom Killer’s name and public legends might shape its power as the train approached Feyhart City.
• When Li Wei entered the dining car, a tribal-looking killer attacked him with a knife, and Li Wei shot him.
• A second identical killer lunged at Li Wei and was shot, while a third appeared in the doorway.

Li Wei realized he could reshape the nightmare the Phantom Killer had trapped him in and turned the killer’s dream-hunting against him. The Phantom Killer was destroyed in a series of nightmares, and Li Wei woke on the train to find the quest complete.

• Li Wei recognized that he was being targeted in a dream and discovered that he could change its surroundings by imagining them.
• Li Wei transformed the forest into a factory, where a blade-gloved figure killed the Phantom Killer with scalding steam and a surprise attack.
• The Phantom Killer returned to the nightmare and was killed again by a machete-wielding figure at a lakeside cabin.
• The Phantom Killer encountered a giant monster, fled to a cliff, and was swallowed by a sea monster, causing his cloak to empty in the real world.
• Li Wei woke in the train compartment, saw that the “Blade of Shadows” quest was complete, and lamented that he had more movies to show the killer.

After defeating the Phantom Killer, Li Wei chose the Unconscious Control ability and headed toward his next case. At the Continental Congress, Adams urged the delegates to fight the Empire, but Li Wei interrupted to arrest Adams and Hancock in the Queen’s name.

• Li Wei completed the Phantom Killer mission, received a lifespan reward, and selected Unconscious Control as his new ability.
• Adams and Hancock went to Feyhart City’s Continental Congress, hoping to win the centrists’ support for continued resistance against the Empire.
• Hancock said he had arranged to seal the congress hall and delay the Explorer while an assassin dealt with Li Wei.
• Adams defended the militia’s resistance in a passionate speech, ending with a call for liberty or death that stirred the delegates.
• Li Wei entered the hall, identified himself, and announced that Adams and Hancock were under arrest by order of the Queen.

Li Wei arrested Samuel Adams and John Hancock at the Continental Congress, killed Claiborne when he tried to stop him, and faced an armed militia outside City Hall. As the militia threatened to fire, the Imperial airship Cyclops arrived overhead.

• Li Wei presented the arrest warrant and ordered Samuel Adams and John Hancock to submit to arrest, rejecting Hancock's request to discuss Mericia's situation.
• Claiborne ordered guards to seize Li Wei, but Li Wei shot and killed him when he tried to obstruct the arrest.
• Samuel Adams and John Hancock surrendered, and Li Wei led them out of City Hall despite Hancock's warning that the Continental Parliament would retaliate.
• More than a hundred militia members surrounded Li Wei outside City Hall and demanded that he release the prisoners.
• Li Wei checked his pocket watch as the Imperial airship Cyclops emerged from the clouds above the militia.

An Imperial airship arrived in Feyhart City, and Henry’s armored troops seized Adams and Hancock while Li Wei reunited with Henry and Anthony. After Anthony confirmed that the Continental Parliament had conspired with the Republic of Francis, Li Wei set out to investigate the Phantom Killer’s cabin outside the city.

• An Imperial airship deployed armored troops outside city hall, where Henry greeted Li Wei and ordered Adams and Hancock arrested.
• Anthony revealed that his investigation had linked the Continental Parliament’s opposition to the Empire with the Republic of Francis.
• Li Wei gave Anthony the letter he had recovered from a Francis spy, and Anthony confirmed that it documented a weapons loan agreement.
• Henry and Anthony entered city hall to arrest the remaining conspirators, while Li Wei declined to join them.
• Li Wei headed toward the wooden cabin outside Feyhart City to investigate the Phantom Killer’s former residence.

Li Wei searched the Phantom Killer’s cabin and found a notebook linked to a ritual honoring the Nightmare Goddess, along with a map marking the Orlens Mountains. He arranged to travel there with an archaeological team, while Henry agreed to provide transportation despite the Empire’s preparations for a major offensive.

• Li Wei searched the Phantom Killer’s cabin, found a notebook and a map fragment marked with the All-Seeing Eye, and decided to investigate the Orlens Mountains.
• Li Wei met Annie and her archaeological team, who were stranded in Feyhart City under martial law while trying to leave for the Orlens Mountains.
• The team’s advisor identified the notebook’s language as Mokhand Script and translated repeated entries describing sacrifices to the Nightmare Goddess.
• Li Wei told Henry he planned to investigate the Orlens Mountains, and Henry offered to have a Scout Boat drop him nearby the next day.

Li Wei led an archaeological team to a Morkhand ruin in the Orlens Mountains and found a massive stone entrance. During the night, he discovered the camp was empty and the entrance had opened, so he approached it with his Persuader drawn.

• Henry sent Li Wei and the archaeological team to the Orlens Mountains by scout craft, and Li Wei arranged for the pilot to return in three days.
• Li Wei guided the professor, Annie, Lavinia Goethe, Joe, and Creed Jansen through the mountains using a Groundwalker Mech to carry their supplies.
• The team reached a Morkhand stone doorway, where the professor explained the carvings and the differing beliefs about the Creator.
• Li Wei proposed camping beside the entrance until morning, and the team settled in for the night.
• Li Wei woke to a freezing wind and found the camp empty, with no souls visible and the stone entrance open.
• Li Wei drew his Persuader and cautiously approached the dark entrance.

Li Wei realized he was in a dream world shaped by his memories and used Velociraptors to find Annie, whom he rescued from animals preparing to dissect her. Annie concluded that she liked Li Wei because he had saved her, and they set out to find the others.

• Li Wei tested the dream world and discovered he could summon things he genuinely remembered, including Velociraptors from a movie.
• Li Wei sent the Velociraptors through the jungle and spotted Annie surrounded by animals preparing to dissect her.
• Li Wei exchanged places with a mechanism, attacked the animals, and used the Velociraptors to kill the rabbit teacher.
• Li Wei told Annie she was dreaming and had saved her from the animals, and she accepted that explanation.
• Annie told Li Wei she liked him because he had rescued her, and they went to look for the other expedition members.

Li Wei and Annie met the Cheshire Cat, who explained that Li Wei was a rare Dream Maker with the ability to control dreams. She agreed to lead them toward their missing companions, and the chapter ended as she challenged Li Wei to find a way out of the Dream World.

• Li Wei and Annie discussed how to escape the dream, but Annie warned that deliberately dying might be dangerous.
• The Cheshire Cat appeared and told Li Wei he was a rare Dream Maker who could shape and control dreams.
• The Cheshire Cat explained that dream creatures preyed on visitors and that stronger inhabitants could manipulate their victims’ consciousness to steal their souls and power.
• The Cheshire Cat led Li Wei and Annie through the forest and showed them a starry sea dotted with islands, each representing someone’s dream.
• The Cheshire Cat explained why the Dream World’s inhabitants attacked visitors, then challenged Li Wei to escape.

Li Wei and Annie tried to leave the dream island, but Annie could not create the North Star because she lacked practical details. Li Wei summoned a warship from a bottle and followed the Cheshire Cat to a dream where Joe was marrying Lavinia, who attacked him with a knife.

• Annie began imagining the North Star but collapsed when doubts about operating the ship broke her concentration.
• Li Wei threw a bottle containing a ship into the sea, and a warship emerged; he helped Annie aboard and sailed it across the dream sea.
• The Cheshire Cat pointed Li Wei toward the nearest companion, and Li Wei steered the ship through a portal.
• The warship crashed into a wedding, where Li Wei recognized Joe as the groom and Lavinia as the bride.
• Joe begged Li Wei to save him as Lavinia declared her love and thrust a knife at him.

Li Wei questioned Joe and Lavinia to understand why their wedding nightmare had turned violent, learning that both had mixed feelings about marrying each other. He left the question of whose dream they were in unresolved.

• Li Wei stopped Lavinia from stabbing Joe and tried to determine whether Joe or Lavinia owned the dream.
• Joe explained that he had initially welcomed marrying Lavinia but panicked when she demanded he support a family and change his lifestyle.
• Lavinia said she had been willing to marry Joe because she admired his kindness, but she became furious when he reacted to her demands with fear.
• Annie argued that Lavinia's demands were natural, and Li Wei countered her reasoning before returning to the question of whose dream it was.

Li Wei destroyed Miss Godney, revealing her as a dream spirit and freeing Joe from the nightmare. Joe learned he could create things in the dream and eagerly resumed his fitness routine while Li Wei and Annie remained aboard the ship.

• Li Wei invited Miss Godney to leave with him, then shot her and watched her vanish as a dream spirit.
• Joe regained his awareness, boarded the warship, and escaped the collapsing church with Li Wei and Annie.
• The Cheshire Cat praised Li Wei, who explained that Joe and the guests’ reactions had shown Miss Godney was not the dream’s master.
• Li Wei demonstrated his persuasive technique on Annie, who became entranced and missed Joe’s squats before Li Wei snapped her out of it.
• Li Wei explained the dream to Joe, who summoned dumbbells and began exercising aboard the ship.