Chapter Summaries

Ke Meng tested the Petrifying Stone and discovered that it formed defensive stone skin while slowing thought. He then visited the Investigation Bureau and tossed the meat-greedy tape recorder into the Black Pot, where its appetite gave way to revulsion.

• Ke Meng used Big-Faced Cat to learn the Petrifying Stone’s effects, touched it, and stored it after stone skin formed on his finger.
• Ke Meng asked White Sugar what to film next, and White Sugar suggested feeding the meat-loving tape recorder indescribable food.
• Ke Meng went with Director Lei to the Investigation Bureau, where staff were feeding the tape recorder cartloads of meat.
• Ke Meng put fresh pork into the Black Pot, then threw the tape recorder inside when it opened its mouth for food.
• The tape recorder tasted the pot’s strange food, vomited, and shouted that it would not eat anymore.

Ke Meng used Dark Cuisine to make the tape recorder obey, while he and Bandaged Man discussed a treatment announcement for Frog-Headed People. The Investigation Bureau released version 2.0, claiming patients could leave isolation after eight years, but foreign netizens dismissed the announcement as a joke.

• Ke Meng took the tape recorder out of the Dark Cuisine Pot and made it release frog croaks for a new batch of patients, turning it into a diligent worker.
• Bandaged Man inspected the Dark Cuisine and realized its pixelated contents had no definite form.
• Ke Meng and Bandaged Man agreed to release a second announcement offering conservative treatment to Frog-Headed People.
• Ke Meng edited and uploaded footage of the tape recorder, concealing that its recordings could cure patients.
• The Investigation Bureau announced that Frog-Headed People could be cured after eight years of sealed isolation, prompting foreign netizens to mock the claim.

Ke Meng studied the Frog Society’s sacrifice method but found no way to transport objects without spacetime stone, so Director Zhang took him to see the Infinite Door. Ke Meng arrived at the door in Number One Residential Community and stopped before the bathroom’s red wooden door.

• Ke Meng posted a video of the meat-loving recorder eating dark cuisine, and viewers recoiled when the pot opened.
• Ke Meng read Lu Fa’s interrogation records and learned that the Frog-Head Sculpture had handled the Frog Society’s long-distance transport through sacrifice.
• Ke Meng examined the sculpture in the Holy Light Room, raised his resistance, and gave up studying its bloody sacrifice method.
• Director Zhang invited Ke Meng to see the Infinite Door, while Director Lei tried to persuade him to stay in Whale City.
• Ke Meng visited Unit 010 in Building One and stopped in front of the bathroom’s handleless red wooden door.

Ke Meng investigated the Infinite Door and concluded that opening its true interior required using spirituality through his hands, though his first attempt failed. After returning to Whale City, he used Synesthesia on the door in a dream but found only endlessly nested doors, leaving him convinced that he had to push it open in reality.

• Ke Meng looked through and opened several layers of the Infinite Door, finding only identical walls and red doors before closing them again.
• Ke Meng and the directors concluded that he would need to mobilize spirituality in his hands to open the door, but his attempt using the frog croak led to another identical room.
• Director Lei invited Ke Meng back to the bureau to explore hidden items, and Director Zhang hosted a small farewell dinner before Ke Meng left Zhang City.
• Ke Meng returned to Whale City, went home, and used Synesthesia on the Infinite Door in his dream.
• Ke Meng saw endless doors through Synesthesia and realized that only pushing the door open in reality might reveal what lay beyond.

Orange Star launched a worldwide manhunt for Liu Siting, while the AI Liaison Council secretly ordered a robot to protect her. Ke Meng learned of the hunt and left the response to his AI allies as Cthulhu players prepared a ritual using a player turned into spacetime stone powder.

• Ke Meng watched the Shadow Stream mastermind and Liu Siting, who continued spreading Cthulhu's faith among animals on Orange Star.
• Researcher Li Shen pushed Orange Star's leaders to launch a worldwide search for the missing Liu Siting.
• A robot reported to the AI Liaison Council, whose leader ordered it to watch over and protect Liu Siting.
• Ke Meng learned of the manhunt through the AI Liaison Council and decided to let its members handle Liu Siting's protection.
• Cthulhu players gathered in a Dark Forest and prepared a ritual with blue powder made from a player who had entered the dream as spacetime stone powder.

Ke Meng accepted a series of sacrifices and discovered that a misty Special Item expanded his Storage Scarf’s capacity to two hundred slots. He then headed to the Investigation Bureau to collect a flashlight that could convert two-dimensional creatures, intending to test it on the Flowing Fish.

• After a failed sacrifice, an AI Liaison Council robot warned Cthulhu followers that Liu Siting had escaped physical isolation and asked them to protect her offline.
• Ke Meng watched the artificial intelligence groups in the Dream World while hoping to identify Orange Star’s highest-level AI.
• Ke Meng answered a sacrifice in an ancient castle and boosted the participating players after they offered him a magical mist item.
• After waking, Ke Meng used the mist to increase his Storage Scarf’s capacity to two hundred slots and recorded the sacrifices.
• Ke Meng called the Whale Branch Bureau, learned that the conversion flashlight had arrived, and set out to test it on the Flowing Fish.

Ke Meng tested the Two-Dimensional Creature Flashlight and discovered that charging it allowed Flowing Fish to emerge in physical form and consume written text from a distance. Flowing Fish fled underwater when Ke Meng tried to grab its shadow, and the text it had pulled from the exam papers returned to the pages.

• Ke Meng tested the flashlight with the Whale Monster's mark and Flowing Fish, then charged it using Luo Yuan's Power Bank.
• Ke Meng used the charged flashlight to summon Flowing Fish into the lake, where it appeared in its original physical form.
• Flowing Fish ate the text from Ke Meng's discarded books, leaving their pages blank.
• Flowing Fish began pulling text from mock college entrance exam papers, and Ke Meng rushed across the water to try to grab its shadow.
• Flowing Fish shut its mouth and dived underwater, causing the suspended text to return to the exam papers.

Ke Meng and the Investigation Bureau tested Flowing Fish, capturing it with Tangyuan before Ke Meng used its shadow to make it vanish. On the way home, Captain Luo noticed something happening at a cordoned-off residential complex, and Ke Meng decided to investigate with him.

• Ke Meng sent Shirley and Tangyuan into the lake, where Tangyuan pierced Flowing Fish with Dog-Hair Needles and brought it to shore.
• Ke Meng used written exam papers to lure Flowing Fish into a tank, then seized its shadow with Shadow-Grasping Hand, causing the fish to disperse into the water.
• Ke Meng asked the system for more Resistance points, but it continued assigning its usual video review and daily vlog tasks.
• Ke Meng edited and posted old footage of White Sugar as a vlog while riding home in the SUV.
• Captain Luo noticed something unusual near a cordoned-off residential complex and got out to investigate; Ke Meng followed him.

Ke Meng and Captain Luo investigated two sports cars that had fused together after an apparent supernatural collision, then uncovered two deaths in a villa garage. The victims briefly returned to life but had not yet explained how their SUV had transformed into a robot.

• Ke Meng and Captain Luo examined the fused sports cars and used Synesthesia to learn that the anomaly was related to cars.
• Captain Luo ordered officers to search the compound for strange vehicles and suspicious people.
• Ke Meng and Captain Luo found two bodies inside a villa garage and used the Death Camera to reveal a humanoid robot with the victims trapped in its chest.
• Ke Meng blew the Yellow Springs Reversal Whistle, briefly awakening the victims, while Captain Luo began to be haunted by their ghosts.
• Ke Meng questioned the victims about their deaths and the SUV, but they seemed confused.

Ke Meng and Captain Luo questioned the elderly couple’s corpses, but their SUV suddenly attacked Ke Meng and fled the garage. After Tangyuan chased the car, Ke Meng used holy light to purify the parents’ vengeful souls, leaving him to wonder how the Angel’s light judged good and evil.

• Ke Meng questioned the elderly couple’s corpses, and they began mentioning their son and a car before the SUV started up and charged at him and Captain Luo.
• Ke Meng shoved Captain Luo out of the way, was struck and run over by the SUV, then stood up unharmed and ordered Tangyuan to retrieve it.
• Captain Luo connected the parents’ mention of their son to the car’s attack, while Ke Meng dismissed the souls with the Yellow Springs Reversal Whistle.
• The parents’ souls pleaded for their son, but Captain Luo rejected their obsession and resolved to purify them after they dealt with the car.
• Ke Meng used his Angel Wing to bathe Captain Luo in holy light, burning the two vengeful souls into glowing particles.
• Ke Meng contemplated how the Angel’s holy light distinguished good from evil.

Ao Zhenhai, a Car Person fleeing the Investigation Bureau, tried to seize a father and daughter as hostages, but Tangyuan rescued them and confronted him. Their fight began in the street.

• Whale City Traffic Radio warned residents to avoid the white SUV with license plate XX00007 as it sped through the city.
• Ao Zhenhai recalled that he had transformed into a car a month earlier and fled after the Investigation Bureau investigated the mutations linked to him.
• Ao Zhenhai transformed into a robot and reached for a father and daughter who had pulled over beside the road.
• Tangyuan raced in, swept the father and daughter out of danger, and set them down safely.
• Tangyuan pounced on Ao Zhenhai, and the two began fighting.

Ke Meng and Tangyuan captured Ao Zhenhai, a man who could transform into a car, after Tangyuan defeated him on Zhenmin Road. During interrogation, Ao Zhenhai described how he gained his ability and trapped his parents, while Ke Meng later encountered two cars merging in the parking lot.

• Tangyuan overwhelmed Ao Zhenhai and pinned him down until the Investigation Bureau and police arrived to secure the scene.
• Ao Zhenhai changed back into a human, was given a coat, and was stopped from biting his tongue before officers took him away.
• Di Ping used the Freedom Dance during interrogation, and Ao Zhenhai explained that he had gained his Car Person ability after sleeping in his family's SUV at a private beach.
• Ao Zhenhai said he had trapped his parents in the car after family conflicts erupted, then regretted doing so.
• Ke Meng started his car in the parking lot, where it and another car moved on their own, collided, and began melting together before solidifying.

Ke Meng and the Investigation Bureau investigated Ao Zhenhai after cars fused in the bureau’s garage, discovering that he could control cars and transform by merging with them. Ao Zhenhai was taken into solitary confinement as his resentment toward Koi Continent grew, and the bureau planned to investigate the beach where he awakened.

• Ke Meng reported the car-fusion incident to Captain Luo, and the Investigation Bureau identified Ao Zhenhai as a suspect.
• Di Ping showed Ao Zhenhai surveillance footage of cars fusing, prompting Ao Zhenhai to realize he could control cars, though he initially hid what he had discovered.
• After further questioning, Ao Zhenhai demonstrated that he could separate fused cars and said he could merge with a group of cars to transform into a larger form.
• As Ao Zhenhai grew angry about his lost opportunities, observers noticed his thoughts turning against Koi Continent, and Director Lei ordered him placed in solitary confinement.
• Ke Meng attended a meeting where the Investigation Bureau decided to visit the Private Beach where Ao Zhenhai had awakened.

Ke Meng watched his video featuring Flowing Fish and claimed the Resistance Points earned from its view count. After his score rose to 615, he went to sleep satisfied.

• Ke Meng watched his video, whose opening fishing-gear scene prompted viewers to joke that he might catch a giant Kun.
• Ke Meng demonstrated the Flashlight and released Flowing Fish, while leaving out the classified process used to capture it.
• Ke Meng showed Flowing Fish absorbing text from books and exam papers, impressing viewers and leaving them curious about the fish’s nature.
• Ke Meng checked the task system and claimed 75 Resistance Points after his video and supplementary vlog each exceeded two million views.
• Ke Meng saw his Resistance Points rise from 540 to 615 and went to sleep pleased.

Ke Meng monitored the spread of faith among AIs and watched Liu Siting’s group evade arrest on Orange Star. With AI support, Liu Siting reached Mech City safely, where she wondered who was helping them.

• Ke Meng considered whether a follower could activate the Black Jade Stone, while AIs in the Dream World gradually learned about Cthulhu faith under careful guidance.
• The Orange Star arrest operation advanced, with Li Shen ordering Liu Siting restrained or killed if she became a monster, while other professors wanted her kept alive for questioning.
• Tu Ke'aisi found Liu Siting on a barren mountain and urged her to return to Mech City, explaining that AIs were helping them.
• Liu Siting boarded an intelligent flying car and entered Mech City as its AIs erased or concealed her travel records.
• After reaching a follower’s home safely, Liu Siting asked which AI was helping them.

Orange Star's search for Liu Siting continued as Li Shen suffered worsening headaches and hallucinations. In the game, Keluodi's team successfully offered a Jade Pillow to Ke Meng but forgot to make a wish, while Ke Meng later examined the pillow after waking.

• Li Shen reviewed search reports, suffered a severe headache and auditory hallucinations, then sent his secretary away to rest alone.
• Keluodi and seven teammates offered a legendary Jade Pillow to Cthulhu on the Ice and Snow Plateau, enduring cold damage as they waited for the ritual to end.
• After Cthulhu departed, Keluodi's team found the trench frozen and the offering gone, then realized they had forgotten to make a wish.
• Ke Meng woke in the game world, found the translucent Jade Pillow beside his bed, and prepared to inspect the offering.
• Ke Meng patted his Storage Scarf, causing Big-Faced Cat to land on the floor with a frozen expression.

Ke Meng reviewed several sacrificial items and joined Captain Luo to investigate the garage where Ao Zhenhai had first transformed into a car. By using Synesthesia while Ao Zhenhai transformed again, Ke Meng reconstructed the mutation, though its cause remained unknown.

• Ke Meng stored the Sweet-Dream Pillow and two dangerous fishing rods, planning to lend some items to the Investigation Bureau.
• Ke Meng called Captain Luo and traveled with the investigators to the Private Beach and Ao Zhenhai’s villa to search for clues about the mutation.
• Ke Meng and the others sensed the garage and examined the villa and beach, but found nothing unusual.
• Ke Meng asked Ao Zhenhai to transform into a car in the garage while Tangyuan and Shirley guarded it.
• Ke Meng used Synesthesia beside the car and reconstructed how Ao Zhenhai’s body had changed into an SUV.

Ke Meng discovered that the sound of waves became mentally contaminating when it resonated with a Car Person’s engine, suggesting Ao Zhenhai’s transformation was linked to another Car Person. He ordered the Bureau to investigate Ao Zhenhai’s relatives and friends while continuing to question him.

• Ke Meng heard an abnormal rhythm in the waves when Ao Zhenhai started his engine and warned the investigators to stop listening.
• Ke Meng gave the investigators the Sweet-Dream Pillow to treat mental contamination, then took Ao Zhenhai to a nearby beach to test the waves’ effect.
• Ke Meng confirmed that the waves sounded abnormal only when resonating with a Car Person’s engine.
• Ke Meng asked Captain Luo to investigate Ao Zhenhai’s close relatives and friends, including their vehicle registrations.
• Ke Meng questioned Ao Zhenhai about strange acquaintances, but Ao Zhenhai insisted he had already told him everything.

Ke Meng prepared to test the Unknown Person's Fishing Rod and used a bear to host a Shadow Stream member pulled from a Sealing Jar. He grew more interested in the jar's strange darkness and began questioning Captain Luo about it.

• Ao Zhenhai withheld a detail he had remembered, while Ke Meng considered his fate as either an executed criminal or a tool for the Investigation Bureau.
• Ke Meng decided to test the fishing rod with an animal controlled by a Shadow Creature, and Director Lei arranged for a bear and a sealed Shadow Creature to be delivered.
• Captain Luo brought the bear and Sealing Jar, explaining that anything placed inside the jar could not move and that it held several Shadow Creatures.
• Ke Meng retrieved a novice Shadow Stream member's shadow from the jar and placed it in the bear, which woke up confused in its new body.
• Ke Meng scooped other shadows from the jar, returned them inside, and questioned Captain Luo about how light stopped moving within it.

Ke Meng and the Investigation Bureau tested the Immovable Wine Jar and used the Red-Furred Bear to fish with a special Fishing Rod. The bear caught a mysterious message in a bottle and several strange objects, while Ke Meng ended the chapter preparing to continue the tests.

• Captain Luo explained the Immovable Wine Jar's ability to stop anything, including photons, from moving inside it, and Ke Meng concluded that Shadow Stream's mastermind did not live in the jar.
• Ke Meng had the Red-Furred Bear fish while Captain Luo monitored him and checked the bear's backpack for missing items.
• The Red-Furred Bear caught a soda bottle containing a note that said, "I hope someone remembers me next year," and Ke Meng found that a cheap perfume bottle had vanished from the bear's backpack.
• The Red-Furred Bear fished up a foul-smelling black boot, which Ke Meng put into the Dark Cuisine Pot; its stench drove the bear and Captain Luo away.
• The Red-Furred Bear refused Ke Meng's offer of the cooked boot and continued fishing, catching more ordinary and oddly shaped objects as items disappeared from his backpack.