Chapter Summaries

Mu Yi and Zhong Xuezhi traveled toward the Ruined City, growing closer as Zhong Xuezhi fussed over him and Mu Yi played with his tail. When they returned to the Resting Place, they found Qiu Cai and the others facing a hostile squad.

• Zhong Xuezhi gave Mu Yi a Grade A shard crystal, and Mu Yi matched its electric current with his own.
• Mu Yi washed and cleaned his blood-soaked clothes before Zhong Xuezhi gave him bandages, food, and a raincoat for the journey.
• Mu Yi finally wore Zhong Xuezhi's raincoat and dismissed his rain shield after the others teased them about sleeping together.
• Zhong Xuezhi took Mu Yi into the Fir Forest to find food, letting him hold and play with his tail as they searched.
• Zhong Xuezhi and Mu Yi returned to find Qiu Cai and the others surrounded by six people, and Zhong Xuezhi challenged their threatening leader.

Zhong Xuezhi arrived as Qi Tianhe’s group confronted his people, then protected Mu Yi from Qi Tianhe’s threats. After driving Qi Tianhe away from their shelter, Zhong Xuezhi and Mu Yi prepared dinner while discussing why he had chosen to intimidate 403 instead of fighting them.

• Zhong Xuezhi appeared with an Energy Rain Shield and supplies, startling Qi Tianhe, who had been trying to take the experimental sample from his juniors.
• Zhong Xuezhi challenged Qi Tianhe’s behavior, while Mu Yi insulted him and provoked him further.
• Qi Tianhe drew his Flame Blade, but Zhong Xuezhi stopped him and claimed Mu Yi was a thrill seeker from a neighboring Safe Base who had gotten separated from a Freelance Hunting Team.
• Zhong Xuezhi rebuffed Qi Tianhe and went into the shelter to cook, leaving Qi Tianhe’s group outside to put up their own shelter.
• As they prepared dinner, Zhong Xuezhi explained to Mu Yi that 403 would likely flee and report him if he started a fight, so he had opted to taunt and intimidate them instead.

Mu Yi reminded Zhong Xuezhi of his promise to let Mu Yi pet his ears, tail, and head while concealing his talent. As Zhong Xuezhi prepared food, he explained why his team, 404, managed without a healer.

• Mu Yi asked Zhong Xuezhi if he remembered their bargain, and Zhong Xuezhi promised he would keep his word.
• Qiu Cai interrupted them and pointed out that 403's healer seemed unusually lifeless, but Zhong Xuezhi sent him to dry the firewood with his Flame Gun.
• Mu Yi learned that Zhong Xuezhi's team was numbered 404 and laughed at the coincidence.
• Zhong Xuezhi scanned 403's healer and found his safety readings normal before explaining the healer's combat support role to Mu Yi.
• Zhong Xuezhi explained that 404 lacked a healer because the team consumed too much energy and other teammates covered potions, healing, defense, and buffs.

Mu Yi helped Zhong Xuezhi drink while his hands were busy, then joined the team for dinner after reflecting that he preferred his new life and its unknown possibilities. The chapter ended with Zhong Xuezhi welcoming him at the meal, only for Mu Yi to tell him not to smile because it would spoil his appetite.

• Mu Yi brought Zhong Xuezhi tea and awkwardly fed it to him, prompting their teammates to tease them about being intimate.
• Zhong Xuezhi waved the teasing teammates away, and Mu Yi called him "baby" to join in the joke.
• As Mu Yi sat by himself, he reflected on his past and decided he looked forward to exploring his new life.
• Zhong Xuezhi called Mu Yi to dinner and gave him wooden chopsticks and a spoon he had carved for him.
• Mu Yi sat beside Zhong Xuezhi at the makeshift table and thanked him, then told him not to smile because it would ruin his appetite.

Mu Yi enjoyed Zhong Xuezhi’s cooking, then teased him after discovering he had saved a piece of Crooked Pear to counter the bitterness of medicinal tea. As the group prepared to enter the Ruined City, Mu Yi began braiding spider silk into a bracelet, and Zhong Xuezhi presented him with a lock of gray-white hair.

• Mu Yi learned that Zhong Xuezhi’s team and the people from 403 were on a mission to catch a Prismatic Mushroom, whose illusions made it dangerous to approach.
• Mu Yi drank Bitter Sunfruit medicinal tea without knowing how bitter it was, sprayed it out, and accused Zhong Xuezhi of tricking him.
• Zhong Xuezhi gave Mu Yi a piece of Crooked Pear, and Mu Yi teased him by calling him “baby” in front of the others.
• Zhong Xuezhi sent the group to pack up for their entry into the Ruined City, while Mu Yi finished his pear and picked up litter.
• Mu Yi used Giant-Bellied Colorful Spider silk to begin braiding a bracelet, and Zhong Xuezhi offered him a lock of gray-white hair.

Mu Yi braided Zhong Xuezhi’s hair into a snow-leopard bracelet before the group traveled to the Ruined City, where Zhong Xuezhi warned that the Dread Gloom Forest was expanding. After entering the city under Wenren Jin’s shields, the group encountered Red Weasel Variants.

• Zhong Xuezhi gave Mu Yi his hair to ward off Red Weasel Variants, and Mu Yi wove it into a bracelet patterned after Zhong Xuezhi.
• After the rain stopped, Zhong Xuezhi led the group toward the Ruined City and said the Dread Gloom Forest had grown denser in the past week.
• At the Ruined City gate, Wenren Jin shielded the group, and Zhong Xuezhi pulled Mu Yi back to keep him from leading the way.
• As the group entered the city, Red Weasels darted past Mu Yi.

Mu Yi taunted the Red Weasels and tested Wenren Jin’s protective shield, but the shield broke and one of the creatures bit him. When the colony swarmed him, Zhong Xuezhi intervened, then recoiled at the smell of Mu Yi’s blood.

• The Red Weasels gathered along the road and ground their teeth, while Mu Yi mocked Zhao Qing and learned more about his Pain Transfer ability.
• Mu Yi tempted the Red Weasels with his arm and stepped toward them, but a sudden blow sent him tumbling into their swarm.
• Mu Yi found that Wenren Jin’s Eggshell shield stopped the creatures from biting through, but Wenren Jin warned that it was about to break.
• A rush of air shattered Mu Yi’s shield, and a Red Weasel bit his arm before he crushed its neck and threw it aside.
• The Red Weasels turned on Mu Yi as a group, and Zhong Xuezhi killed the first wave with one sweep of his scythe before recoiling from the smell of Mu Yi’s blood.

Mu Yi and Zhong Xuezhi escaped the red weasels with Team 404, leaving Team 403 behind after Mu Yi kicked Zhao Qing out of the barrier. Once they reached safety, Zhong Xuezhi treated Mu Yi’s wounds, while Mu Yi wondered whether Zhong Xuezhi was beginning to remember something.

• As the red weasels attacked Wenren Jin’s barrier, Mu Yi smeared his blood on Zhao Qing and kicked him outside, drawing the creatures after him.
• Qi Tianhe rescued Zhao Qing with fire, and Zhong Xuezhi told Du Jing to use the Thousand-Mile Vine to teleport Team 404 and Mu Yi away.
• Team 404 celebrated leaving Team 403 to face the red weasels, then Zhong Xuezhi told them to prepare for nightfall.
• Zhong Xuezhi bandaged Mu Yi’s wounds and warned him to report any unusual symptoms.
• Mu Yi wondered whether Zhong Xuezhi was starting to remember, while Zhong Xuezhi left feeling thirsty with an itchy throat.

Mu Yi bathed and changed into Zhong Xuezhi’s 404 uniform before Team 403 arrived, then learned that Variants were especially attracted to the scent of his blood. He shrugged off Zhong Xuezhi’s warning and treated the danger as a convenient way to find Variants.

• Zhong Xuezhi persuaded Mu Yi to bathe and change out of his torn, bloodied clothes, and Mu Yi kept his injured arm out of the water.
• Mu Yi put on Zhong Xuezhi’s 404 combat uniform, adjusting its oversized sleeves and trouser legs to fit.
• Team 403 arrived looking battered from their fight with the Red Weasels, and Mu Yi ignored Zhao Qing’s glare as he walked past.
• Zhong Xuezhi sealed Mu Yi’s bloodied clothes in a bag and explained that Variants found Mu Yi’s blood especially sweet and alluring.
• Zhong Xuezhi warned Mu Yi to protect himself outside the safe zone, but Mu Yi said the scent would save him the trouble of searching for Variants.

Mu Yi insisted on sleeping beside Zhong Xuezhi so he could touch Zhong Xuezhi’s snow leopard tail, and Zhong Xuezhi eventually agreed. They returned to the shared room and settled under one blanket together, while their teammates tried to listen in.

• Mu Yi said he wanted to sleep beside Zhong Xuezhi so he could touch his tail, and Zhong Xuezhi warned that An Beize would never fully sleep because of his white dolphin mutant form.
• Zhong Xuezhi led Mu Yi to a sheltered spot outside, where Mu Yi argued that their agreement allowed him to touch the tail as long as they were alone.
• After Zhong Xuezhi asked whether Mu Yi minded their teammates’ teasing, Mu Yi said it was fine as long as Zhong Xuezhi did not mind, and Zhong Xuezhi agreed to sleep beside him.
• The teammates teased Zhong Xuezhi as he and Mu Yi pushed their beds together, but Zhong Xuezhi told them to go to sleep.
• Once the room was dark, Mu Yi cuddled Zhong Xuezhi’s tail and repeatedly caught its tip as Zhong Xuezhi flicked it against his palm.
• Zhong Xuezhi told the rustling teammates to go outside and stand watch, and they immediately went quiet.

Zhong Xuezhi and Mu Yi traveled with Teams 403 and 404 toward the Teleportation Array after a strange morning together. As the group prepared to return to the city, Zhong Xuezhi sensed something approaching and cut off the call for their Return City Code.

• Zhong Xuezhi woke Mu Yi with a flick to the forehead, and the two washed up alongside the synchronized, half-asleep members of Team 404.
• Mu Yi tried a nutrient supplement for the first time, then told the team his father was dead when Qiu Cai asked whether his father ruled a Safe Base.
• Zhong Xuezhi led Team 404 out with Team 403 following, and both teams crossed the grassland without stopping for lunch.
• At the Teleportation Array, Mu Yi examined the crystal tower while Zhong Xuezhi contacted customer service to request a Return City Code.
• Zhong Xuezhi abruptly ended the call before the code was read, telling Qi Tianhe that something was approaching.

Team 404 fought Ghost Spiders at the teleportation crystal while Mu Yi secretly tormented Zhao Qing, then escaped with Mu Yi before Team 403 could return. Qi Tianhe shouted after Zhong Xuezhi as Team 403 was left behind to finish the fight.

• Zhong Xuezhi warned Team 404 that the approaching Ghost Spiders were Class C Infected that spread infection through physical contact.
• As Team 404 fought the Ghost Spiders, Mu Yi crushed the smaller spiders and dodged the remains of one that Zhao Qing deliberately threw beside him.
• Mu Yi set Zhao Qing's clothes on fire, stripped them off, and covered him with the foul-smelling baby spiders.
• Zhong Xuezhi led Mu Yi back to the teleportation crystal and signaled Team 404 to enter the return code.
• Team 404 and Mu Yi vanished through the crystal, leaving Team 403 behind as Qi Tianhe roared after Zhong Xuezhi.

Mu Yi arrived at the city with Team 404 and learned that the Mirage Wall registered newcomers before letting them pass. Zhong Xuezhi tricked him into facing the wall, and Mu Yi left the group zapped after discovering the prank.

• Mu Yi became dizzy after his first ride on the Teleportation Array, and Zhong Xuezhi helped him recover while Team 404 teased one another about their own first rides.
• Zhong Xuezhi led Mu Yi and Team 404 to the Mirage Wall and explained that it scanned newcomers before allowing them through.
• Zhong Xuezhi claimed Mu Yi had to stand against the wall for registration, then greeted Captain Fu as he brought a plant-type mutant into the city.
• Captain Fu and his group passed through the Mirage Wall, while Mu Yi was rejected and crackled with electricity.
• Mu Yi zapped Zhong Xuezhi for the prank, then zapped the four laughing members of Team 404 as well.

Mu Yi entered Crystal City with Zhong Xuezhi and met Zhong’s childhood friend, Feng Zhengqing, who became curious about their relationship. After seeing the city’s defenses, Mu Yi challenged Major Li Zhou, leaving Zhong worried that he was trying to get himself imprisoned.

• Mu Yi and Zhong Xuezhi emerged through the Mirage Wall outside Crystal City, where Mu Yi noticed that the people around them were all Betas.
• Feng Zhengqing greeted Zhong Xuezhi, sniffed Mu Yi, and teased them after Mu Yi claimed they were close enough to share underwear.
• Feng Zhengqing led the group into Crystal City through an express lane and learned from Zhong Xuezhi about Mu Yi’s encounter with the Hallucinogenic Mushroom.
• Zhong Xuezhi explained that the City Defense Force consisted of ordinary people who helped balance the power of the Mutant Alliance.
• Major Li Zhou scanned Mu Yi and insulted him, so Mu Yi insulted Li back and asked Zhong Xuezhi about the city’s prison.

Mu Yi accompanied Zhong Xuezhi and Feng Zhengqing to the Mutation Research Institute, learning about the dangers of infected people and the city’s security measures along the way. At the institute, he witnessed a researcher’s suicide and saw how familiar the grim sight seemed to the staff.

• Zhong Xuezhi led Mu Yi away from Li Zhou and explained why the Alliance avoided confronting the City Defense Force openly.
• Zhong Xuezhi teased Mu Yi by calling him “baby” and “darling,” until Mu Yi elbowed him and Feng Zhengqing told them to stop flirting.
• On the subway, Zhong Xuezhi explained that unregistered visitors drew suspicion and that irreversibly infected people had to be executed to prevent outbreaks.
• Feng Zhengqing used his green card to guide the group through checkpoints and into the Mutation Research Institute.
• Mu Yi arrived at Feng Zhengqing’s research building and saw a researcher in a lab coat dead after jumping from a height.

Feng Zhengqing examined Mu Yi, whose tests showed no detectable energy core or fluctuations, while Zhong Xuezhi completed Team 404's mission and took Mu Yi to register for a Temporary Identity Bracelet. On the crowded subway, Zhong Xuezhi asked whether Mu Yi had ever dated anyone, and Mu Yi dismissed the idea.

• Feng Zhengqing spoke about the research institute's despair over the nuclear blast calamity, and Team 404 shared his grim outlook.
• Mu Yi insisted that his visit to Feng Zhengqing's lab was only for a physical, while Zhong Xuezhi submitted Team 404's hallucinogenic mushroom mission for its reward.
• The lab assistant's tests found Mu Yi healthy but showed no energy fluctuations, leaving Zhong Xuezhi wondering how he stored energy without an energy core.
• Zhong Xuezhi dismissed Team 404 and took Mu Yi by subway to get a Temporary Identity Bracelet.
• Mu Yi noticed women whispering about Zhong Xuezhi on the subway, and Zhong Xuezhi asked whether Mu Yi had ever dated anyone.
• Mu Yi said dating was stupid and no fun, and Zhong Xuezhi laughed at his answer.

After registering as an ordinary person, Mu Yi learned that his assistance money could barely buy food and that Zhong Xuezhi was also short on money. With curfew approaching, Zhong Xuezhi brought Mu Yi to stay at his home, where Mu Yi discovered he lived in a large detached villa.

• Mu Yi received a temporary silver Identity Bracelet, a newcomer's guide, uniforms, Nutrient Supplements, recruitment flyers, and 10J.
• Zhong Xuezhi explained the high prices of ordinary food and admitted that he spent more than he earned on shard crystals.
• The city's chimes announced the approaching curfew, and Zhong Xuezhi invited Mu Yi to stay at his place instead of temporary accommodation.
• Zhong Xuezhi teleported Mu Yi to his home, where Mu Yi was stunned to find a large detached villa.

Mu Yi visited Zhong Xuezhi’s villa and discovered its unusual garden, mutated cleaning creatures, and Zhong’s attentive approach to home life. After they showered, Zhong invited Mu Yi to drink flower wine in the yard, and Mu Yi eagerly agreed.

• Zhong Xuezhi showed Mu Yi his garden, explaining that its harmless mutated plants and floating lights had lived there for years.
• Zhong Xuezhi brought Mu Yi inside, where Mu Yi watched strange furry creatures clean the house.
• Zhong Xuezhi offered Mu Yi spare pajamas and underwear, and Mu Yi insisted that he wanted underwear in Zhong Xuezhi’s size.
• After they both showered, Zhong Xuezhi invited Mu Yi to drink flower wine in the yard, and Mu Yi accepted.

Mu Yi and Zhong Xuezhi shared wine and admired flowers in Zhong Xuezhi’s courtyard, where Mu Yi drank until he was thoroughly drunk. Zhong Xuezhi carried him to bed, but Mu Yi woke briefly and clung to him for relief from the heat.

• Zhong Xuezhi served Mu Yi homemade Thunberg Spirea Wine and explained why it suited the season.
• Mu Yi drank heavily while playing with Zhong Xuezhi’s tail, then hummed a tune that impressed Zhong Xuezhi.
• Mu Yi fell asleep in the courtyard, and Zhong Xuezhi carried him upstairs after the wine left him too unsteady to walk.
• Zhong Xuezhi noticed the marks on Mu Yi’s shoulder and felt a fleeting sense that something had come to mind.
• Mu Yi caught Zhong Xuezhi examining his shoulder, then wrapped himself around him and held his tail to cool down.

Zhong Xuezhi and Mu Yi woke tangled together, then shared breakfast at Zhong Xuezhi’s home. After Mu Yi asked how to reach the market to trade his crystals and Variant parts, Zhong Xuezhi directed him to a nearby Teleportation Array while preparing to visit the Alliance.

• Zhong Xuezhi slept holding Mu Yi, and the next morning Mu Yi kicked him off the bed when he began grinding against him.
• Mu Yi used the bathroom while Zhong Xuezhi went downstairs to wash and made chive-and-egg pancakes with ingredients from his vegetable patch.
• Mu Yi ate the pancakes and felt his hangover ease.
• Mu Yi asked where the market was so he could exchange crystals and Variant parts for money.
• Zhong Xuezhi told Mu Yi to use the Teleportation Array outside the door to reach the market hall because he had to visit the Alliance.