Chapter Summaries

After surviving six months of an apocalypse filled with Anomalies entities, Chu Sheng discovered he could spend Survival Points to upgrade objects and sharpened his Butcher Knife. As someone approached his tent in the rain, he crouched with the knife ready.

• Chu Sheng traveled with a survivor convoy and vowed to take back his stolen bicycle by killing the flowered-arm punk during the next supply stop.
• The convoy stopped for the night, and Chu Sheng set up his tent, took cold medicine, and prepared a self-heating hot pot.
• A message offered Chu Sheng the chance to upgrade his hot pot for Survival Points, prompting him to test whether he had awakened an ability.
• Chu Sheng upgraded his Butcher Knife for 100 Survival Points, making its blade sharper and removing its rust.
• Hearing faint footsteps outside his tent, Chu Sheng gripped the upgraded knife and crouched, waiting for the intruder.

Chu Sheng killed a father and son who tried to rob his tent, then took their tarp and returned to the convoy. After deciding to kill the tattoo-sleeved thug despite the man's return of his bicycle, Chu Sheng prepared to act as the convoy approached a suspicious supply point.

• Chu Sheng ambushed the son and father at his tent, killed both with the upgraded Butcher Knife, and disposed of their bodies.
• Chu Sheng took the father and son's tarp after finding their remaining belongings had already been stolen, then returned to his tent for a meal.
• At the convoy's front, the Sequence Adepts discussed an upcoming supply point where Brother Hui's divination showed no Anomalies, but Xiao Qing urged them to proceed.
• Chu Sheng woke the next morning, reflected on how to awaken a Sequence and survive, and saw the tattoo-sleeved thug return his stolen bicycle.
• Chu Sheng decided the thug's attempt to make amends would not save him and planned to kill him that day.

Chu Sheng killed the tattooed thug who had stolen his bicycle, then followed the convoy to a town used as a supply stop. As Zhu Qing and An Xi charged into a supermarket, Chu Sheng entered a small shop on his own.

• Chu Sheng entered the tattooed thug’s tent, killed him, and took his backpack and tent.
• The convoy set off at around nine thirty, with Chu Sheng riding his bicycle and carrying two backpacks.
• At three in the afternoon, the convoy reached a decaying town that Brother Hui identified as a supply stop without anomalies.
• Brother Hui warned Zhu Qing and An Xi to be careful, and Zhu Qing transformed into a giant before rushing into town with An Xi.
• Chu Sheng rode into town after them but stopped at a small shop and went inside instead of following them into the supermarket.

Chu Sheng searched a convenience store for supplies, then discovered a blood-red coffin rising in the street and an eerie black cat stalking people inside. When the cat attacked him, it recoiled from his butcher knife, leaving Chu Sheng facing an anomaly that seemed wary of his weapon.

• Chu Sheng found that the convenience store had already been looted, gathered food and baijiu, and warned the others after seeing a blood-red coffin rise from the ground.
• Chu Sheng led the group upstairs, where he spotted a black cat with glowing red eyes approaching the people gathered at the balcony.
• The black cat silently killed the people at the balcony by slashing their necks, then turned its attention to Chu Sheng.
• Chu Sheng slashed at the approaching cat with his butcher knife, and it cried out and sprang back to the balcony.

Chu Sheng killed the Eerie Cat by cutting off its paws and gouging out its eyes, then escaped while Zhu Qing and An Xi fought a zombie in the street. He rejoined the convoy after fleeing town by bicycle.

• Chu Sheng used an upgraded kitchen knife to cut the Eerie Cat in half, then pinned it down with his butcher knife.
• Chu Sheng killed the Eerie Cat by gouging out its eyes and collected its eyeballs and claws before its body dissolved into black smoke.
• Chu Sheng watched Zhu Qing and An Xi battle a zombie, whose metal-like body resisted their attacks.
• Chu Sheng retrieved the liquor he had left behind and rode his bicycle out of town, avoiding the fight.
• Chu Sheng spotted the convoy again after escaping the town.

After returning to the convoy, Chu Sheng reported what happened in town and learned about Sequence users and their awakenings from Brother Hui and Old Man Li. He counted his survival points and discovered that thinking about choosing an upgrade direction changed the butcher’s knife upgrade option.

• Chu Sheng returned alone and told Brother Hui and Old Man Li that Zhu Qing and An Xi were safe and fighting an Ironclad Zombie.
• Brother Hui explained that An Xi and Zhu Qing could not penetrate the zombie’s defenses, described An Xi’s powerful spear, and said Sequences awakened naturally without a known method.
• Brother Hui asked Chu Sheng to share the information with the convoy and tell everyone to be ready to leave; Chu Sheng quieted the crowd with his butcher’s knife and relayed the news.
• The survivors hurried back to their vehicles after hearing about the zombie, while Chu Sheng calculated that killing the strange cat had earned him 5,000 survival points in total.
• Chu Sheng considered choosing the butcher’s knife’s upgrade direction, and the upgrade prompt changed into a phantom image of the knife.

Chu Sheng upgraded his butcher knife and transformed his bicycle into a motorcycle with a sidecar, revealing his ability to the convoy. Brother Hui concluded that Chu Sheng had awakened a Sequence, but Chu Sheng had not yet learned what it was.

• Chu Sheng customized and upgraded his butcher knife, then designed a heavily modified bicycle that cost more survival points than he had.
• Chu Sheng stripped away features until the upgrade cost 4,400 survival points, then turned his bicycle into a motorcycle with a sidecar.
• Chu Sheng fueled the motorcycle with gasoline taken from the tattooed thug and tested it.
• The convoy members saw Chu Sheng's bicycle transform in a flash of white light and realized he had a remarkable ability.
• Brother Hui approached Chu Sheng, asked whether he had awakened, and guessed that Chu Sheng had not yet received information about his Sequence.

Brother Hui explained the convoy’s rules to Chu Sheng before a powerful Ironclad Zombie forced the survivors to flee. Zhu Qing and An Xi held the zombie back so the convoy could escape, then caught up and returned to their vehicle.

• Brother Hui told Chu Sheng that awakening a sequence brought strength and explained the convoy’s mutual-aid and fair-trade rules.
• Old Man Li warned Captain Hui to move as Zhu Qing and An Xi retreated from town with the survivors while fighting the Ironclad Zombie.
• Chu Sheng secured his truck and drove ahead, and Captain Hui and Old Man Li led the convoy away as survivors scrambled aboard.
• Zhu Qing knocked the Ironclad Zombie back into town with the shattered coffin lid, and he and An Xi ran after the convoy.
• An Xi and Zhu Qing reached the convoy, and An Xi climbed into her vehicle through its open window.

Chu Sheng joined the convoy’s Sequence users after revealing that his awakened ability could upgrade items, though he warned that using it was costly and could not truly replace repairs. The convoy rested by a river under the blood moon, and Zhang Hui began explaining how his divination guided their route.

• An Xi told A Xin about the Armored Zombie they had encountered, then noticed Chu Sheng riding his newly upgraded motorcycle at the front of the convoy.
• The convoy traveled another forty or fifty kilometers before stopping beside a river, where Chu Sheng counted that only 279 of the original 286 people remained.
• Zhang Hui gave Chu Sheng about ten liters of gasoline and invited him to join the Sequence users’ discussion.
• Zhang Hui introduced Chu Sheng as a new Sequence user whose ability seemed to involve modifications, and Chu Sheng explained that he could upgrade items but not repair them cheaply.
• Zhang Hui introduced himself as the user of the Eight Trigrams Sequence and explained that his divination helped locate supplies and determine the convoy’s route.

Brother Hui introduced Chu Sheng to the convoy’s Sequence users and explained how they divided supplies. After watching An Xi receive her share, Chu Sheng asked if she wanted to become stronger.

• Brother Hui introduced Old Man Li, Zhu Qing, and An Xi and described their Sequences to Chu Sheng.
• Brother Hui explained the convoy’s supply-sharing rules, and Chu Sheng accepted that he would not receive a share this time.
• Zhu Qing and An Xi’s supplies were sorted and divided, while Chu Sheng considered how supplies could reduce the cost of upgrading his equipment.
• Old Man Li asked Zhu Qing to bring him liquor on the next trip, and Zhu Qing promised to try.
• Chu Sheng stared at An Xi’s supplies and asked whether she wanted to become stronger.

Chu Sheng upgraded An Xi’s spear in exchange for her supplies, leaving her delighted with its sharper edges. He revealed that his upgraded weapons could hurt Anomalies, giving the convoy another potential way to fight them.

• Chu Sheng offered to upgrade An Xi’s spear in return for the supplies she had gathered, and An Xi agreed after seeing his butcher knife cut through an iron plate.
• Chu Sheng spent 200 Survival Points to upgrade the spear’s cutting edges, making it sharper without changing its appearance.
• An Xi tested the spear on a tree and praised Chu Sheng after finding its edge improved and undamaged.
• Chu Sheng claimed upgrades might affect an unintended part but would always make an item stronger, while privately valuing the supplies he received in exchange.
• Chu Sheng warned An Xi that his upgraded spear could hurt Anomalies, and the convoy members reacted with excitement.

After joining Brother Hui's convoy, Chu Sheng awakened Sequence 9: Heavenly Craftsman, whose ability could fuse supernatural materials with ordinary items to create Sacrificial Items. He learned that his price was silvery-white hair and created a ranked Cat-Claw Butcher Knife from an Eerie Cat's claws.

• Chu Sheng turned down requests to upgrade weapons, then accepted An Xi's supplies, especially her foldable solar panel.
• The next morning, Chu Sheng awakened Sequence 9: Heavenly Craftsman and discovered that his body had grown much stronger.
• Zhu Qing showed Chu Sheng that his hair had turned silvery white and explained that Sequences exacted a personal price.
• Zhu Qing revealed that An Xi's price had been losing her bust, and he and Chu Sheng shared a knowing grin.
• Chu Sheng fused a butcher knife with the Eerie Cat's claws and created a Cat-Claw Butcher Knife, ranked 9633.

Chu Sheng examined the Cat-Claw Butcher Knife and kept the unused cat eyes, then emerged as a newly awakened Sequence transcendent. After explaining his awakening to Zhou Dun and the two women in exchange for a radio and tapes, Chu Sheng packed up and left while they decided to focus on surviving.

• Chu Sheng read that the Cat-Claw Butcher Knife had gained sharpness and intimidation abilities, and learned that he could use it without paying its daily-sharpening cost.
• Chu Sheng put away the scarlet cat eyes because he did not know how to use them and suspected they needed a better-matched object.
• Chu Sheng left his tent with silvery-white hair, drawing envy from the survivors who recognized him as a new Sequence transcendent.
• Zhou Dun offered Chu Sheng a radio and tapes in exchange for information about his awakening, and Chu Sheng said he had partially awakened while fighting an Eerie Cat before fully awakening the next morning.
• Zhou Dun, Li Qian, and Li Ling decided not to risk seeking out Anomalies to awaken and agreed to focus on staying alive.

Chu Sheng upgraded Zhu Qing’s stretch pants into shorts and continued traveling with the convoy, but the lack of Anomalies left him unable to gain Survival Points or strengthen his Sequence. After An Xi learned that his Heavenly Craftsman Sequence needed Anomalies and supernatural materials, she hurried back toward the convoy.

• Zhu Qing traded Chu Sheng a can of gasoline for an upgrade to his stretch pants, and Chu Sheng turned them into shorts by spending 60 Survival Points.
• Chu Sheng rode between An Xi’s and Zhu Qing’s vehicles while Old Man Li tried to trade with him for liquor.
• The convoy traveled for four days, covering over two hundred kilometers but advancing only a little over thirty, without encountering any Anomalies.
• Chu Sheng explained to An Xi that his Heavenly Craftsman Sequence needed Anomalies and supernatural materials to grow and make sacrificial items.
• An Xi’s eyes lit up at the mention of sacrificial items, and she ran toward the convoy after telling Chu Sheng to wait.

Chu Sheng fused An Xi’s spear with a supernatural rib to create the White Jade Spear, a powerful Sacrificial Item. He told the convoy that his fusion ability required several days of rest, concealing how readily he could use it.

• Chu Sheng recognized the bone An Xi brought as supernatural material, and she asked him to fuse it with her spear.
• An Xi paid Chu Sheng with gasoline, rice, and a steel plate after he refused her initial offer of only rice and steel.
• Chu Sheng fused the rib with An Xi’s spear, creating the White Jade Spear, which ranked 6,761st and could automatically return to its owner.
• An Xi examined the spear’s information, while Chu Sheng told Zhu Qing that fusion could fail and that he needed three or four days to recover after using his ability.

Chu Sheng traded baijiu with Old Man Li for Little Supernatural Cherry Tomatoes and learned the convoy would soon reach a town with a gas station and one Anomalies. An Xi tested her new White Jade Spear, while Zhu Qing asked Chu Sheng for a Sacrificial Item and watched it return to her hand.

• Old Man Li gave Chu Sheng a Little Supernatural Cherry Tomato, and Captain Hui explained that the fruit restored stamina and healed minor wounds for two days.
• Chu Sheng traded three bottles of baijiu for eight and a half kilos of Little Supernatural Cherry Tomatoes, which Old Man Li agreed to save for him.
• Captain Hui told Chu Sheng that another convoy might appear in about a week and that the group would soon reach a town with a gas station and one Anomalies.
• An Xi tested the White Jade Spear and found that her Geng Metal Power flowed through it easily.
• Zhu Qing asked Chu Sheng for a Sacrificial Item, and Chu Sheng said he needed a weapon and suitable supernatural material or an Anomalies hide first.
• An Xi threw the White Jade Spear through a boulder and recalled it to her hand, leaving Zhu Qing even more envious.

As the convoy traveled toward a gas station, Chu Sheng killed a woman who tried to steal from him, horrifying several witnesses. An Xi then offered to get A Xin an upgraded weapon that could hurt Anomalies and asked what kind she wanted.

• Chu Sheng asked Captain Hui why they had not reached a supply point, and Captain Hui said they expected to find a gas station the next day.
• Chu Sheng threw his Butcher Knife at a woman who tried to steal from him, severing her forearm.
• Chu Sheng killed the wounded woman and said he was sparing her further torment from the apocalypse.
• Li Qian and Li Ling recoiled at the killing, while Zhou Dun warned them to stay away from Chu Sheng and said he would handle him.
• An Xi told A Xin that Chu Sheng could upgrade weapons to hurt Anomalies and asked what weapon A Xin wanted.

The convoy encountered an Eerie Pig, and Zhu Qing and An Xi fought to hold it back. Chu Sheng killed it with his Butcher Knife, earning Survival Points and progress toward his Hundred-Ton King.

• Captain Hui warned the convoy to prepare for an attack, and the survivors spotted an Eerie Pig charging toward them.
• Zhu Qing transformed into a giant and stopped the Eerie Pig by grabbing its tusks, though he struggled to hold it.
• An Xi hurled her White Jade Spear through the Eerie Pig, then attacked its neck with repeated thrusts.
• Chu Sheng rushed in and stabbed the Eerie Pig in the neck with his Butcher Knife, killing it.
• Chu Sheng gained 500 Survival Points and one point of Hundred-Ton King progress.

Chu Sheng, Zhu Qing, and An Xi killed a Sequence 8 Eerie Pig and recovered supernatural materials from its remains. As Captain Hui prepared to divide the materials among the contributors, Old Man Li insisted that he receive no share.

• Chu Sheng stabbed the Eerie Pig with the Butcher Knife while Zhu Qing restrained it and An Xi attacked with her White Jade Spear.
• After five minutes, the Eerie Pig vanished, leaving four trotters and a three-meter-long spine.
• Captain Hui judged that the Eerie Pig had reached Sequence 8 strength, and Zhu Qing and An Xi agreed that it had been unusually difficult to defeat.
• Old Man Li warned that Anomalies were growing more dangerous, while Captain Hui said their improved abilities still gave them better odds of survival.
• Captain Hui began assigning the materials according to each person's contribution, but Old Man Li told him to divide them among the other four because he had not helped.

After the Eerie Pig’s defeat, Captain Hui divided its supernatural materials among the convoy, and Zhu Qing offered Chu Sheng the pig’s spine in exchange for two trotters or the fusion of two sacrificial items. As the convoy prepared to reach the Gas Station, An Xi declared that if no City of Dawn existed, they would build one themselves.

• Captain Hui allocated the Eerie Pig’s five materials as six shares, giving two shares each to Zhu Qing and Chu Sheng and one each to An Xi and himself.
• Zhu Qing chose the pig’s spine and offered to trade it to Chu Sheng for two trotters or the free fusion of two sacrificial items.
• Chu Sheng agreed to trade with Zhu Qing and explained that using his fusion ability required a cooldown of roughly six hours.
• Captain Hui told the convoy to rest before reaching the Gas Station, where the Eerie Pig had emerged and no Anomalies were expected to remain.
• Old Man Li wondered when the apocalypse would end, and An Xi said they would build a City of Dawn if none existed.