Chapter Summaries

Ke Meng and Investigation Group 49 investigated So-and-so Tang’s disappearance in a residential complex, where Ke Meng sensed that a floral scent had trapped the elevator in an isolated space. They recreated the missing man’s elevator ride with a drone, but its fate was not shown before the chapter ended.

• Ke Meng and his teammates examined So-and-so Tang’s clean SUV, and Ke Meng noted that it had been washed recently.
• Ke Meng saw a brief image of a man lying inside the elevator, while his teammates saw a human-shaped stain on the floor through their spirit-vision glasses.
• Ke Meng used Synesthesia inside the elevator and sensed that a floral fragrance had caused a middle-aged man to collapse and left the elevator space sealed.
• Ke Meng told Captain Luo what he had sensed, and the group decided to investigate by recreating So-and-so Tang’s elevator ride.
• Captain Luo sent a drone up to the thirteenth floor, and the elevator doors opened after it arrived.

Ke Meng used Synesthesia in Tang Hua’s car to trace the drowsy floral scent to Liang Jing, Tang Hua’s ex-girlfriend. Captain Luo and Dr. Liang approached her flower shop with a military convoy, warned to avoid enclosed spaces around her.

• Hui Lanfang told Captain Luo that Liang Jing had confronted her and Tang Hua and cursed them after Tang Hua rejected her.
• Captain Luo split the team: he and Dr. Liang went to Liang Jing’s flower shop, while Ke Meng and Cheng Le examined Tang Hua’s car.
• Ke Meng sensed a soothing, sleep-inducing floral fragrance in the car and used Synesthesia to see Tang Hua kiss a woman whose perfume filled the vehicle.
• Ke Meng identified Liang Jing as the likely culprit and called Captain Luo to warn him that her perfume could make people fall asleep in enclosed spaces.
• Captain Luo arrived at Liang Jing’s flower shop with Dr. Liang as seven troop transports and armed soldiers pulled up outside.

Luo Yuan’s team forced Liang Jing out of her flower shop and questioned her about Tang Hua’s disappearance. Ke Meng used Synesthesia to identify the blood-red flower behind her crimes, and Liang Jing revealed where she had hidden it.

• Luo Yuan ordered Liang Jing to leave the flower shop, and she came out after soldiers threatened to force their way in.
• Luo Yuan questioned Liang Jing in an isolation vehicle, and she admitted that Tang Hua had visited her but denied knowing anything about the Perfume.
• Luo Yuan described how Liang Jing had trapped Tang Hua, causing her to panic and repeatedly insist that it was impossible.
• Ke Meng sensed an unusual fragrance and used Synesthesia to perceive a red flower growing in blood-colored soil among five rows of shelves.
• After Luo Yuan confronted her with details of the flower, Liang Jing revealed it was hidden in the basement beneath a panel under a safe.

Ke Meng and Investigation Group 49 closed the case after Liang Jing confessed that a white rose had persuaded her to use its fragrance and blood to imprison Tang Hua. The authorities took custody of the dangerous items, and Ke Meng returned home after his trident review video went viral.

• Liang Jing told Captain Luo that a white rose had spoken to her, promised to win Tang Hua’s love, and taught her to use her blood and fragrance to trap men.
• Liang Jing filled the elevator with her fragrance, bringing the unconscious Tang Hua back into the real world, where Ke Meng and the others woke him and escorted him out.
• Ke Meng gained 0.1 resistance after the elevator returned to the first floor, and armed soldiers and medical staff received the group and took Tang Hua to an ambulance.
• Cheng Le praised Ke Meng for providing the key clues, while the authorities took the Trident and sealed the Eerie Script Book for later testing.
• Ke Meng went home and discovered that his trident review video had reached 860,000 views.

Chen Momo discovered that Ke Meng had been named to the Special Affairs Investigation Bureau’s official list of educational content creators, making his video go viral. She watched his review of the Fisherman’s Fork, which produced fish and then enormous whales when Ke Meng tested it at sea with the Mighty Gloves.

• Chen Momo found Ke Meng’s viral video and followed a link to the Special Affairs Investigation Bureau’s official list, where she saw that Ke Meng was included.
• Chen Momo read about the bureau’s work and plans for special affairs universities, then considered applying to help protect herself and the Koi Continent.
• Ke Meng demonstrated that a light thrust with the Fisherman’s Fork produced an ant and then live fish.
• Ke Meng tested the fork from a warship with the Mighty Gloves on, and each forceful thrust produced an enormous whale that fell into the sea.
• Ke Meng continued testing as warships closed in around the whales, while viewers flooded the video with astonished comments.

After completing his task and raising his resistance, Ke Meng returned to Deep-Sea R'lyeh and checked the players’ progress in the Dream World. He spotted a huge wooden stump and wondered whether the players planned to build a towering tree.

• Chen Momo read the comments on Ke Meng’s video and agreed that strange items and monsters were too dangerous to handle without authorities.
• Ke Meng told his fan group to visit the Special Affairs Investigation Bureau’s official website and said applicants would need to pass an in-person test.
• Ke Meng claimed his task reward, raising his resistance by 15 to 29.1, and found that he could drink water without the same mental interference.
• Ke Meng returned to Deep-Sea R'lyeh, watched the familiar sea creatures fight, and used Synesthesia to check the players’ construction progress.
• Ke Meng saw players building an enormous wooden stump with a surface area of about a million square meters and wondered if they intended to grow a towering tree there.

G9G took a break from building the World Tree in the Dream World, then returned to Animal World and posted about his experience as a husky. A comment from a player who had become a fish sparked a surge of interest in the ocean and requests for a fish player's perspective.

• G9G rested beneath a parasol at the World Tree construction site because the heat and labor had worn him out.
• After returning to Animal World, G9G compared its husky experience with the greater realism of the Dream World and decided he wanted to dream again.
• G9G posted a new entry in his popular Dream Forum diary about working and coping with the heat as a husky.
• G9G noticed a commenter had been turning into a fish and realized players could explore the Dream World in aquatic forms.
• Forum users began asking fish players to share diaries and calling for an underwater project.

Players who entered the Dream World as fish discovered that spawning on land could make them suffocate and die repeatedly. As fish players shared their experiences and warnings on the forum, Ke Meng came across live fish writhing across the terrain.

• Fish player Low-Key Freshwater Fish warned that freshwater fish could dehydrate in seawater and advised players to unlock saltwater fish bodies before entering the Dream World.
• Ze Ci reported that he spawned on land and repeatedly suffocated, then logged off after describing his ordeal to curious forum users.
• Low-Key Freshwater Fish and other players cautioned fish players about spawning on land, while Lan Ye described how her shark character had fallen onto grass and frightened a nearby player.
• Clementine predicted a wave of suffering fish players, and forum posts about their hardships soon multiplied.
• Ke Meng patrolled the Dream World and noticed live fish falling onto grass, sand, rocks, and water, writhing as they struggled.

Ke Meng adjusted aquatic animals’ spawn locations in the Dream World as Orange Star players flocked to Animal World. Peerless Grace entered the Dream World as an owl, but a glimpse of the terrifying presence above drove him to his death and sent researchers mad.

• Ke Meng watched aquatic animals repeatedly spawn and die, then entered the Joint Dream World to improve their spawn locations.
• Peerless Grace unlocked his owl form in Animal World and entered the Dream World as an owl.
• Players threatened to eat Peerless Grace, but he flew to a factory roof and taunted them.
• An indescribable mist appeared overhead, and its oppressive presence made Peerless Grace fall and look up.
• Peerless Grace’s head exploded, while researchers who glimpsed the presence praised the great Lord and went mad.

Ke Meng adjusted aquatic creature spawns so players could escape dangerous water by waking from the dream, then accepted a sacrifice from the Living Dead Tribe and sent them Water: Mirror Traversal. He used Synesthesia to recognize himself asleep and woke back on Blue Star.

• Ke Meng changed aquatic creatures’ spawn locations so they appeared in aquatic areas, giving players more time to wake up if they landed in water.
• The Living Dead Tribe sacrificed a bone-like whistle to Cthulhu and asked Ke Meng to free them from the game area’s restrictions.
• Ke Meng sent the Living Dead Tribe knowledge of Water: Mirror Traversal, but most members lost their reason while trying to absorb it.
• Ke Meng examined why the whistle had appeared beside him in the real world, then used Synesthesia to focus on his sleeping self.
• Ke Meng woke on Blue Star beside Tangyuan and the bone whistle, and confirmed his return through the system list.

Ke Meng received a secure delivery from Headquarters containing special equipment and used Synesthesia to discover the box’s combination. He opened it and prepared to examine the Clairvoyance Glasses, Rational Transcript, and Storage Scarf.

• Ke Meng learned that the Yellow Springs Reversal Whistle could summon the dead but drained the user’s vital energy.
• A Giant Toad delivered a locked aluminum-alloy box from Headquarters after the branch director confirmed the delivery was safe.
• Tangyuan received a phone but could not use its touchscreen until Ke Meng gave it a stylus.
• Ke Meng used Synesthesia to observe the Bandaged Man setting the box’s combination and entered the final code, 15937, to open it.

Ke Meng tested the Clairvoyance Glasses and discovered how the Storage Scarf worked, including its ability to store living things and let them move between slots. Tangyuan escaped through the scarf’s gaps, leaving Ke Meng unsure how safely the item could contain anything.

• Ke Meng found that the Clairvoyance Glasses revealed no new information about Big-Faced Cat unless he looked directly into its eyes without a lens in the way.
• Ke Meng put on the Storage Scarf and learned that wearing it made him its owner, then tested how it stored objects in categorized slots.
• Ke Meng stored insects in the scarf and confirmed that different species of ants were grouped together in one slot.
• Ke Meng sent Tangyuan into the scarf with a phone to test whether it could breathe, use the internet, hear him, and pass through gaps.
• Tangyuan got distracted watching videos, then escaped through several gaps between slots and emerged covered in ants.

Ke Meng tested the Storage Scarf and learned that only moving things could leave its storage space, then examined a Rational Transcript that calmed readers. Captain Luo summoned him to a Special Field in Donglin District, Whale City, and Ke Meng prepared to join the mission.

• Ke Meng looked up the Storage Scarf’s Investigation Bureau records and confirmed through tests that stationary objects would not be shaken out, while living things could pass through gaps.
• Ke Meng stored Big-Faced Cat and its bowl in the scarf, then learned that the Rational Transcript could preserve rationality but cause excessive calm.
• Ke Meng put the Rational Transcript away and received a call from Captain Luo about a Special Field in Donglin District, Whale City.
• Ke Meng packed his equipment into the Storage Scarf, stored Tangyuan inside, and dressed for the mission.

Ke Meng joined Captain Luo, Doctor Liang, and Cheng Le to investigate a special field covering a library, where Captain Luo suspected an ancient book on the sixth floor was responsible. After learning the Storage Scarf could transport willing people, the team tested it on Lieutenant Yi and prepared to see whether Ke Meng could carry him inside.

• Ke Meng selected the unknown review mission, which required him to capture and review a Special Item for 50 points of Resistance.
• Ke Meng met Captain Luo outside the cordoned-off library, where Captain Luo briefed him on the suspected danger on the sixth floor.
• Ke Meng entered the library with Captain Luo, Doctor Liang, and Cheng Le, then brought Tangyuan out of the Storage Scarf with a phone.
• Ke Meng explained that the scarf could store people, and Captain Luo proposed using it to transport soldiers into the special field.
• Ke Meng stored Lieutenant Yi in the scarf, and Captain Luo led him back toward the library entrance to test the transport.

Ke Meng and the team prepared to investigate the library’s Special Field, where he spotted a strange figure on the sixth floor. A reconnaissance vehicle and drone revealed a printer operating in a locked staff room, while the team remained outside the building.

• Ke Meng used the Storage Scarf to bring special operations equipment into the Special Field, but Doctor Liang stopped him after the scarf’s cold grew severe.
• Ke Meng saw a dark human-shaped figure at a sixth-floor window, though Luo Yuan, Doctor Liang, and Cheng Le found no figure in the camera footage.
• Ke Meng used the Rational Transcript to steady himself as the Storage Scarf’s cold intensified.
• Luo Yuan sent an unmanned patrol vehicle to scout the library, where it found a locked staff room with machinery rumbling inside.
• A scout launched a drone and filmed a printer in the staff room producing sheets of paper onto a growing pile.

Ke Meng and the investigators tested how Honey Juice let objects pass through the barrier, then investigated a library where a printer produced paper endlessly. After Ke Meng carried the printer outside and its isolating field vanished, the Special Forces entered the library to continue the investigation.

• Ke Meng coated a handgun in Honey Juice, turning it into a Special Item that passed through the barrier, and explained that only its exterior needed to be coated.
• The Drone and Patrol Car found the sixth-floor door locked, so the team used a breaching charge to open it; Ke Meng sensed a fleeting figure inside but could not identify it.
• Ke Meng and the others entered the library and found the staff room filled with paper from the endlessly printing machine.
• Ke Meng used Synesthesia on the printer and sensed that it had begun printing on its own after the staff room was abandoned, though he remained cautious about the sixth floor.
• Ke Meng carried the printer outside, causing the library's isolating field to vanish, and the Special Forces mobilized into the building.

Ke Meng and the investigators searched the library’s sixth floor for clues about the missing guards and the black figure seen at its window. After restoring the scene to improve Synesthesia, Ke Meng realized the figure had held Whale County Travel Notes while looking down.

• Special forces cleared the library’s first five floors, while technical investigators discovered that the surveillance footage had been erased.
• Ke Meng followed the strong smell of decaying books to an empty shelf slot and asked the library staff to identify the missing book.
• Chang Chengwen identified the book as Whale County Travel Notes, and Luo Yuan ordered a search and restoration of the sixth-floor scene.
• The authorities replaced and aged the damaged steel door, then left the four investigators alone inside to use Synesthesia.
• Ke Meng retraced the moldy smell to the window and realized the black figure had held Whale County Travel Notes while looking down.

Ke Meng and Investigation Group 49 investigated the mysterious figure seen on the library’s sixth floor and identified the missing security guard, Hong Zhiyuan, as their main suspect. After learning that Hong’s personality had changed drastically, Ke Meng suspected that someone from Shadow Stream had invaded his body.

• Ke Meng, Captain Luo, and Cheng Le used Synesthesia on the library’s sixth floor and saw a figure who had looked down from a window and taken a book.
• Ke Meng proposed returning at night to perform Synesthesia under the right conditions, while Luo Yuan warned that a deliberately targeted vision could be an enemy’s trap.
• Ke Meng examined the missing guard Hong Zhiyuan’s file and recognized him as the dark figure he had seen behind the sixth-floor window.
• Hong Zhiyuan’s roommate Ke Fei described him as taciturn and nocturnal, while his college friends remembered him as cheerful, outgoing, and popular.
• Ke Meng suggested that someone from Shadow Stream might have invaded Hong Zhiyuan’s body, drawing sharp attention from the other investigators.

Ke Meng resisted the hostile whispers in the library and used Synesthesia to identify the suspect’s van and describe two criminals. The authorities tracked them to an empty house in Whale City, where Ke Meng and Luo Yuan arrived just before midnight with a growing sense of danger.

• Ke Meng heard chaotic whispers during Synesthesia, used the Rational Transcript to calm himself, and increased his mental resistance.
• Ke Meng endured another ten seconds of the whispers and saw a blue-uniformed man leave the library in van Whale X698.
• The authorities found the abandoned van, and Ke Meng used Synesthesia inside it to describe two men dressed entirely in black.
• Luo Yuan learned the suspects were still in Whale City and led Ke Meng and the team to a suspicious, unlit house on Coldwater Street.
• Ke Meng arrived at the house at 11:59 p.m. and felt a bad feeling rising.

Ke Meng and Luo Yuan investigated a house where two men had died beside a blood-soaked copy of "Whale County Travel Notes." Ke Meng used his Yellow Springs Reversal Whistle to question the corpses, then went home exhausted and dreamed of deep-sea creatures fighting.

• Ke Meng stopped the Special Forces from entering the house and, after reviewing drone footage of the bloody scene, agreed with Luo Yuan to investigate while keeping the building sealed off.
• Ke Meng told Director Lei about the whistle and received permission to use it outside the house, where the two dead men rose and walked to him.
• Ke Meng learned that the corpses belonged to Shadow Stream and could answer only yes-or-no questions before he ended the whistle's effect.
• The whistle drained Ke Meng's strength, so Luo Yuan sent him home to rest.
• Ke Meng fell asleep and dreamed of a Deep Sea Scorpion attacking a jellyfish.