Chapter Summaries

Xie De entered the dream film Romeo and Juliet and met Hu Songlin, a dangerously lucky player who was secretly a villain targeting Wei Yanchi. The chapter left Xie De following Hu Songlin while considering whether to attack him.

• Xie De explored the medieval town, recognized the Montague name on a party notice, and realized he was inside Romeo and Juliet.
• Hu Songlin introduced himself as Wei Yanchi's old friend and offered to lead Xie De to him, and Xie De agreed to follow.
• 455 returned online and warned Xie De that Hu Songlin belonged to the Club and was a villain with absolute luck and an almost unnoticeable presence.
• 455 explained that Hu Songlin targeted Wei Yanchi and had killed Yue Xiamo, prompting Xie De to consider striking first.
• Xie De stared at Hu Songlin with killing intent, and Hu Songlin looked back at him curiously.

Wei Yanchi decided to enter the Lost Domain after suspecting that a Club member had intercepted Mr. 39, while Xie De and Hu Songlin fought there after both fell into it. Xie De retained his memories and pursued the wounded Hu Songlin, knowing that the only ways out were to kill him or have him kill himself.

• At the mansion party, Pearl and her lions massacred the guests while Juliet mourned Romeo and Beiwei worried that Mr. 39 had not appeared.
• Wei Yanchi suspected an overlooked Club member was responsible for Mr. 39's absence and said he would enter the Lost Domain.
• In the snowy Northern Country, Xie De shot at Hu Songlin, who escaped despite being wounded and asked Xie De to tell him his name.
• Xie De learned that he and Hu Songlin were in the Lost Domain, where Xie De had kept his memories and the surroundings came from Hu Songlin's subconscious.
• Xie De and 455 pursued Hu Songlin, with Xie De realizing that escape required either killing Hu Songlin or having him kill himself.

Xie De searched Hu Songlin’s subconscious for Wei Yanchi, only to encounter a terrifying landscape that revealed the monsters inside Wei Yanchi’s domain. At school, Wei Yanchi drew those monsters into reality and learned they were tied to his bloodline, but his questions kept returning to the real man he had drawn.

• Xie De and 455 searched Hu Songlin’s subconscious, where the dream split between the Northern Country and Hua Country and a procession of ghost soldiers frightened Xie De into hiding.
• Xie De stayed at the edge of Wei Yanchi’s domain, where a ghost bride, a greedy landlord, and a skeletal dragon watched Wei Yanchi.
• At school, Wei Yanchi grew suspicious of the looping world and drew ghosts, monsters, and a mysterious man in his textbook.
• Wei Yanchi’s drawings appeared in reality, and the dragon and other beings explained that they had flowed through his bloodline for generations.
• Wei Yanchi asked about the man he had drawn, and the dragon said he was real and remarked that Wei Yanchi could not get him out of his head.

Wei Yanchi entered the depths of his mind to find the Killer and met Hu Songlin, who had just been shot by Xie De. The three converged in a snowy city, where Xie De shot Hu Songlin again and the Subconscious Space collapsed.

• Wei Yanchi learned that the Wei family's guardian spirits were prisoners inside his body and that he had entered his mind to find someone.
• Hu Songlin, wounded after Xie De shot him, called for supplies and set out toward the city to find the Killer.
• Hu Songlin met Wei Yanchi in the snow, offered to guide him to the Killer, and delighted in Wei Yanchi remembering his name.
• Xie De left the café to search for Hu Songlin and encountered him alongside Wei Yanchi on a deserted street.
• Hu Songlin demanded that they say their names, and after Xie De identified him, Xie De raised his gun and shot him, causing the world to collapse.

Xie De tried to cross the moonlit town while its blind residents hunted by sound, as Wei Yanchi and Beiwei faced Pearl inside the mansion. Mr. 39 arrived just as Pearl’s pitchfork left them unable to move.

• Xie De woke in the town at night and cautiously avoided the blind residents as he headed toward the mansion where the plot was unfolding.
• Wei Yanchi told Beiwei that Mr. 39 had escaped the lost domain on his own and warned her not to treat him as someone who needed protection.
• Wei Yanchi killed a lion that broke into the room, then tried to flee with Beiwei and Juliet, but more lions blocked the balcony.
• Pearl confronted Wei Yanchi, Beiwei, and Juliet, and Juliet’s scream let Pearl restrict their movements with her pitchfork.
• Mr. 39 entered the room, interrupting Pearl and prompting Beiwei to call out to him.

Xie De and the others returned to the Juliet and Romeo dream, where 39 urged Pearl to stage another killing. Juliet’s death shattered the dream and brought them back to the cinema, where Wei Yanchi claimed he had figured out how to clear the instance, and Xie De found Hu Songlin waiting for him.

• Xie De arrived in the mansion with no bullets left and found Pearl confronting Wei Yanchi and Beiwei, while 39 watched them.
• 39 asked Pearl to perform screams and death for him, and Pearl summoned lions to frighten the group.
• Pearl killed Juliet with her pitchfork when Juliet could not scream, and Juliet’s death caused the dream to collapse.
• Xie De, Wei Yanchi, Beiwei, and the others woke in the cinema, where Wei Yanchi said they had cleared the Juliet and Romeo movie and that he had figured out the instance.
• Xie De spotted Hu Songlin by the screening room door and asked what he was doing there; Hu Songlin said he was waiting for him.

Xie De and the others realized they had been inside a dream shaped by Zhang Qiuyue’s subconscious, and Wei Yanchi explained how the four movies reflected her life and desires. Hu Songlin and Wei Yanchi entered the lost domain to find her, where they woke Zhang Qiuyue and completed the instance with five players surviving.

• Hu Songlin thanked Xie De for remembering his name, and Xie De reassured him that others would remember him too.
• Wei Yanchi deduced that the players were in Zhang Qiuyue’s first-layer dream and connected the four movies to her marriage, dreams, and love for her son.
• 455 ran out of power and shut down as Yue Xiamo asked how they could find Zhang Qiuyue.
• Xie De refused to enter the lost domain with Wei Yanchi and told him to take Hu Songlin instead.
• Wei Yanchi and Hu Songlin confronted Zhang Qiuyue’s dream and made her realize she was dead.
• The instance system announced a perfect clear with five players surviving.

Wei Yunmo worried about 39 while he was away, then watched him return drenched and inject a Super-Strong Painkiller. Meanwhile, Xie De learned that 455 had connected him with the Instance Main System, TC730, which wanted his help dealing with scum in the real world.

• Wei Yunmo waited for 39 and let a rain-soaked black cat into the house.
• 39 returned drenched, ignored Wei Yunmo, and injected a Super-Strong Painkiller for his pain.
• Xie De blamed 455 for causing another charging explosion that had damaged his nerves.
• 455 introduced Xie De to TC730, the Instance Main System, through his phone.
• TC730 asked Xie De to work with it to deal with scum in the real world.

Xie De agreed to help the Instance Main System punish culprits behind cleared instances, then returned home to rest after dealing with 455, Wei Yunmo, a black cat, and the house centipede. He learned his eldest uncle had arranged a blind date, but 455 had insulted and blocked him, while Xie De planned to take a day off before discussing the mission.

• The Instance Main System offered Xie De a partnership to punish people responsible for instances, and he agreed in exchange for choosing items.
• Xie De scolded 455 for agreeing to the partnership without consulting him, then allowed it to slide and went to shower.
• Wei Yunmo asked about Xie De's injuries, became angry when Xie De teased him, and returned to his room.
• Xie De fed the house centipede and bathed the soaking black cat before going to bed with it.
• 455 told Xie De that his eldest uncle had invited him home for a blind date, then admitted it had insulted and blocked the uncle on his behalf.
• Xie De dismissed his relatives' opinions and told 455 to focus on winning over the Instance Main System while he rested.

Xie De inspected the vehicle, gun, and ammunition he received for clearing the Instance, then learned that completing TC730’s real-world task could earn him any item he wanted. Motivated by the prospect of valuable rewards, he asked 455 to locate the target.

• Xie De explored his new all-black off-road vehicle and heard TC730’s voice from its onboard system.
• TC730 explained that the vehicle, gun, and ammunition were rewards suited to Xie De, and said Old Eugene received a seven-million business deal for clearing an Instance.
• Xie De learned he could choose any item as a reward for completing TC730’s real-world task.
• When Xie De asked whether TC730’s machines came with warranty service, TC730 said he was an exception and then went offline.
• Xie De told 455 to locate the target, claiming his gun thirsted for blood, and 455 mocked him as a poser.

Xie De discovered that killing the factory owner would require a covert plan because the target belonged to the Surface, then the Laboratory attacked him at home and forced him to flee with Wei Yunmo. They escaped a pursuing convoy, but Xie De ended the chapter wounded by a gunshot to the shoulder.

• Xie De and 455 discussed ways to kill the factory owner without attracting attention, noting his bodyguards and ghost-repelling protections.
• Xie De sensed something was wrong on the way home, and 455 discovered that the Laboratory had broken into his house.
• Xie De fled with Wei Yunmo when the Laboratory's pursuers began shooting at their car.
• Xie De assembled a Shotgun and fired at the pursuing vehicle, accidentally hitting its driver.
• 455 drove them to safety after the pursuing cars crashed, and Xie De realized he had been shot in the shoulder.

After Orion attacked their escape, Xie De and Wei Yunmo reached a safe house, where Xie De treated his gunshot wound and decided to send Wei Yunmo to TC730. Orion examined a photograph of Xie De and became eager to confront the mysterious organization behind him.

• 39 brought Wei Yunmo to Huang Zhuowang’s courtyard house, where Huang introduced himself and offered to look after the boy.
• Xie De removed the bullet from his wound while 455 urged him to send Wei Yunmo to TC730 so the Laboratory could not find him.
• Xie De agreed that hiding from the Laboratory was now their only option and said they would fight back if necessary.
• Orion studied a photograph of Xie De, suspected he belonged to a secret organization, and looked forward to clashing with it.
• A black cat watched from the rooftops before leaping away.

39 delivered Wei Yunmo to the organization’s laboratory in the Instance Main System’s auxiliary space, despite Wei Yunmo asking whether they would meet again. As 39 left, Wei Yunmo was taken inside by Pearl and grew angry and distressed at being abandoned among the researchers.

• Xie De, Huang Zhuowang, and Wei Yunmo drove in a repaired vehicle toward a remote canyon while Xie De tended his wounds and Huang Zhuowang complained and screamed at the house centipede.
• 39 and Wei Yunmo entered a cave filled with bats, passing through the illusion into the Instance Main System’s auxiliary space.
• Xie De used a scanner to open the laboratory doors and delivered Wei Yunmo to Pearl and the lab-coated NPCs.
• Wei Yunmo asked 39 whether they would meet again, and 39 replied that it depended on how Wei Yunmo behaved before leaving.
• Pearl took Wei Yunmo into the laboratory, where he saw the researchers’ intent to study him and blamed 39 for abandoning him.

Xie De completed his Instance mission by poisoning a businessman at a high-society banquet, then encountered Hu Songlin, who had witnessed the murder. Hu Songlin said he had come looking for Xie De, leaving their next move uncertain.

• Xie De headed to the airport with Huang Zhuowang, who urged him to rest and apologized after Xie De said not everyone was as lucky as him.
• Huang Zhuowang told Xie De he wanted to help, but Xie De entered the airport without replying.
• At a banquet in H City, Xie De used a poison-coated insect to kill Mr. Li and escaped into a secluded spot.
• Xie De praised the little house centipede for helping carry out the murder, then worried that anyone could trace the plan back to him.
• Hu Songlin confronted Xie De and said he had seen the killing and had come to find him.

Xie De learned that the man he poisoned had survived and decided he would have to kill him again. Meanwhile, Hu Songlin stayed close to Xie De, and the police began investigating the attempted murder.

• Hu Songlin tracked down Xie De and insisted on staying by his side, then correctly deduced that Xie De had been shot.
• Xie De threw Hu Songlin out of his hotel room after Hu lectured him about smoking while injured.
• Mei Manshan and Wang Yi investigated the poisoning and learned the victim had a history of killing factory workers through negligence.
• A young officer told Mei Manshan that the victim had survived, astonishing both her and Xie De.
• The victim left the hospital and locked himself inside his home, refusing to speak with the police.
• Xie De suspected Hu Songlin's luck had kept the victim alive and resolved to kill him again.

Xie De planned to assassinate Mr. Li with a sniper rifle after learning the house was heavily guarded. Before Wei Yanchi could investigate Mr. Li’s condition, a sniper killed him, scattering his soul.

• Xie De learned Mr. Li had hired bodyguards and sealed himself inside his villa, so he planned to shoot him from a nearby shopping center.
• Xie De retrieved his sniper rifle after Hu Songlin left on a Club mission.
• Zhang Ninde told Wei Yanchi that Mr. Li had died but was trapped in his body as a living corpse after a sacrifice performed with Wuta.
• Wei Yanchi entered the villa and found Mr. Li with Wuta, discussing whether Mr. Li could be restored.
• A bullet shattered the glass and destroyed Mr. Li’s flesh, scattering his soul.

After Xie De killed Boss Li with a long-range shot, he chose a home and a sniper rifle as his mission rewards, then went to a violin performance. Wei Yanchi tracked him there and offered him roses, leaving Xie De wary of his intentions.

• Xie De shot Boss Li from the Shopping Center rooftop, and Zhang Ninde found the corpse and called the police while Wei Yanchi left.
• Xie De returned to the hotel, where he and 455 argued over their mission reward before settling on a riverside apartment and an M200 sniper rifle.
• Xie De spotted a poster for a solo violin performance and booked a ticket to attend that evening.
• Wei Yanchi found Xie De at the Opera House, revealed he had guessed Xie De killed Boss Li, and invited him to a private box.
• Wei Yanchi offered Xie De a bouquet of red roses, and Xie De shoved him away and asked what he wanted.

At a performance of La Traviata, Wei Yanchi confessed his feelings to 39, who rejected him and left. Xie De later asked 455 why the protagonist had suddenly fallen for him, but refused to exploit Wei Yanchi’s affection.

• Wei Yanchi offered 39 a rose and confessed that he had fallen for him, but 39 threw the rose away and called him disgusting.
• Wei Yanchi calmly accepted the rejection and explained that he intended to keep courting 39, prompting Xie De to leave the opera.
• Wei Yanchi sent Xie De an apologetic message, while Xie De sat by the river and tried to make sense of the confession.
• 455 returned, and Xie De told it that Wei Yanchi had confessed to him; 455 found no explanation for the change in the plot.
• 455 suggested that Xie De use Wei Yanchi’s affection for protection and help clearing Instances, but Xie De refused to deceive him.

Xie De settled into his new home and reunited with the black cat, while Qiu Qiong became infatuated with him at first sight. As Xie De and 455 investigated the strange silence surrounding their neighbors in unit 1601, 730 revealed that the next instance was called the Monastery.

• The black cat rode a bus to Lingqian Road, followed Qiu Qiong into his building, and led him to Xie De's door on the sixteenth floor.
• Qiu Qiong met Xie De, blushed at his appearance, and hurried home, where his mother told him unit 1602 had recently been sold.
• Qiu Qiong checked the homeowners' group chat and saw residents complaining about the silent owner of unit 1601 and the family living there.
• Xie De brushed the black cat while 455 explained that it was a little cat spirit drawn to Xie De's yang energy and that the Laboratory could not find their concealed home.
• After hearing a distant church choir, 455 followed 730, which revealed that the next instance was called the Monastery.

Xie De and fourteen other players entered the Monastery instance, where the system explained that they could restart every fourteen days and only the last survivor could return with their memories. The players were assigned tasks in three groups, and Xie De’s group set out to supervise the orphans.

• Xie De woke at a table with fourteen other players, including Beiwei, Yue Xiamo, Wei Yanchi, and Ying Lin.
• Veteran player Zhuoerte warned the newcomers that the instance was real and that people would die.
• The instance system announced the fourteen-day restart rule and said that the sole survivor could return with their memories intact.
• An old man assigned the fifteen players to groups responsible for orphans, the sick, and the poor.
• Xie De, Beiwei, Ying Lin, and two newcomers formed the group supervising orphans, while Wei Yanchi and Yue Xiamo joined the other groups.
• Xie De’s group followed the monks and nuns through the dilapidated Monastery as Beiwei urged Ying Lin to focus on finding clues.