Chapter Summaries

Qin Siyang concluded that Qin Yingguang had crossed a line by attacking his newly formed troops and resolved to kill him after the Sigma District crisis. He also warned Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang that Qian Wendao was secretly powerful and pursuing an unknown plan, while his forces continued training in Area No. 4444, where Huo Dangkou called Chu Baxing.

• Qin Siyang explained that Qin Yingguang had targeted his eight thousand recruits to undermine his new military unit and decided they needed to kill Qin Yingguang after the Sigma District situation ended.
• Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang agreed to help Qin Siyang eliminate Qin Yingguang, with Li Tianming warning that Qin Yingguang would threaten even more people if he grew stronger.
• Qin Siyang told Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang that Qian Wendao had likely been powerful enough to fight a Large God while serving as a section chief and was pursuing an unknown plan.
• Qin Siyang learned that Chu Baxing was staying in Area No. 4444 to train the troops instead of going to the Sigma District.
• Huo Dangkou, holding Chu Baxing's phone at the blood-soaked joint headquarters in Area No. 4444, called Chu Baxing.

Huo Dangkou captured Chu Baxing and demanded that Chu Xiaoang avenge his father by killing Zhou Bi, the District Chief of Zone 1. After Chu Xiaoang agreed, he learned that the United Government planned to impose anti-heretical-cult levies on legions and other organizations.

• Huo Dangkou subdued Chu Baxing, treated his severed leg, and told Chu Xiaoang he had taken his son hostage.
• Chu Xiaoang explained that Huo Sancai had murdered Huo Dangkou’s parents and that he had later killed Huo Sancai.
• Huo Dangkou said Zhou Bi had given Huo Sancai the courage to kill his father and demanded that Chu Xiaoang avenge him in exchange for Chu Baxing’s release.
• Chu Xiaoang agreed to kill Zhou Bi, while Huo Dangkou said he would bring Chu Baxing to the World-Destroying Church’s event at the end of the year.
• Zheng Mubian told Chu Xiaoang that the United Government planned to impose anti-heretical-cult levies on legions, merchants’ associations, mines, churches, and universities.

Chu Xiaoang learned that the United Government had imposed severe levies and fees on every major faction, then agreed with Zheng Mubian that the factions had to fight back. He prepared to confront Zhou Bi at the coming meeting and ordered Zheng Mubian to stay behind and take command of the Chu Character Legion if he died.

• Zheng Mubian explained that the United Government had imposed monthly disc carapace quotas on legions and churches, demanded half the mining companies’ assets, charged merchants’ associations, and planned to raise university tuition.
• Chu Xiaoang concluded that Zone 1 intended to provoke the other factions into rebellion and said the Chu Character Legion had to resist.
• Zheng Mubian agreed to act with Chu Xiaoang, who revealed that Huo Dangkou had taken Chu Baxing hostage and reaffirmed his decision to kill Zhou Bi.
• Chu Xiaoang ordered Zheng Mubian to stay behind because of his wounds and instructed him to take command of the Chu Character Legion if Chu Xiaoang died.

Qin Siyang and Yu Yongyou learned that Zone 1 had imposed new levies and demanded half of Joint Mining’s mines, prompting them to discuss the threat to the Safe Zone’s economy and their factions. Meanwhile, Chu Xiaoang asked Qin Yingguang to help kill Zhou Bi, citing both the new levy and his hostage son, but Qin Yingguang warned that the assassination would be dangerous.

• Qin Siyang objected to Zone 1’s requirement that every soldier in a Sequence unit provide disc carapace and ended the call with its staff member.
• Yu Yongyou told Qin Siyang that Zone 1 had ordered Joint Mining to surrender half its mines, and Qin Siyang explained that uniform cost increases could devastate poorer regions.
• Qin Siyang and Yu Yongyou noticed Secretary-General Gu had not signed the policy and decided to wait for more experienced faction leaders to act against the demands.
• Chu Xiaoang called Qin Yingguang and asked him to help kill Zhou Bi, saying Huo Dangkou had taken his son hostage and demanded Zhou Bi’s death.
• Qin Yingguang refused to treat the request as simple revenge and warned that Zhou Bi and his allies would be difficult to kill.

Chu Xiaoang persuaded Qin Yingguang that they had to rebel against Zone 1 before it destroyed their factions. The two agreed to recruit allies and plan an attack on Zhou Bi and the other leaders.

• Qin Yingguang refused to risk helping Chu Xiaoang, but admitted that Zone 1 would eventually eliminate them if they failed to grow stronger.
• Chu Xiaoang urged Qin Yingguang to join the World-Destroying Church's coming confrontation and help kill Zhou Bi.
• Chu Xiaoang explained that he had been plotting for years and condemned Lei Xiaoting's failed rebellion for trying to negotiate instead of fighting.
• Qin Yingguang agreed to act with Chu Xiaoang and asked how they would deal with Zhou Bi, Chao Ding, Ander, and the others.
• Chu Xiaoang proposed recruiting allies from the Reincarnation Church and the World-Destroying Church, with each man contacting his own connections.

Chu Xiaoang, Qin Yingguang, Zhao Longteng, and Wei Rulai discussed a coordinated rebellion against the United Government’s old guard, including killing Zhou Bi and attacking District 2. The conspirators began comparing plans for a decapitation operation against Jin Mian and Zhi Chenggong.

• Chu Xiaoang deduced that the World-Destroying Church backed Qin Yingguang, and Qin agreed to help kill Zhou Bi despite the difficulty of securing the church’s support.
• Chu Xiaoang contacted Zhao Longteng, who agreed Zhou Bi had to die but argued they should also eliminate the other leaders capable of organizing resistance.
• Zhao Longteng proposed that he and Wei Rulai attack District 2 to kill Jin Mian, while explaining his personal grudge over his wife’s death and Wei Rulai’s grudge over his sworn brothers’ deaths.
• Wei Rulai objected to attacking District 2 with too few allies, but agreed to compare his operation plan with Zhao Longteng’s.

Gu Weiyang refused Jin Mian’s request to travel to Sigma District and reminded him that he answered to the Secretary-General. In Area No. 7, Zhao Fengjun, Chen Fenghe, and Lin Yaman pressured Zhao Longfei to let them leave with him and Zhao Longju.

• Jin Mian asked Gu Weiyang to let him go to Sigma District, but Gu Weiyang ordered him to remain in District 2.
• Gu Weiyang challenged Jin Mian over his political schemes, including blocking Qin Siyang from distributing grain in State No. 14.
• Jin Mian accepted Gu Weiyang’s order and left the Secretary-General’s office.
• Zhao Longju asked Zhao Longfei to deal with Zhao Fengjun, Chen Fenghe, and Lin Yaman, who insisted on taking their private transport.
• Zhao Longfei tried to ignore the three women, but after half an hour he gave in and heard their request to leave with him and Zhao Longju.
• Lin Yaman warned Zhao Longfei not to lie when he asked why they wanted to accompany them.

Zhao Longfei tried to stop Zhao Fengjun, Chen Fenghe, and Lin Yaman from accompanying him to Sigma District, but they argued that their skills would help in the coming battle. He finally agreed to take them, provided they followed his arrangements.

• Zhao Fengjun revealed that she and Chen Fenghe planned to go with Zhao Longfei to Sigma District after the World-Destroying Church notified them.
• Zhao Longfei learned that Wen Shu would look after Professor Li's Son and heard Chen Fenghe explain that she and Zhao Fengjun could save people with their medical abilities.
• Lin Yaman argued that women had to contribute their abilities during the Apocalypse, and Zhao Fengjun and Chen Fenghe challenged Zhao Longfei's outdated assumptions.
• Zhao Longfei agreed to take Zhao Fengjun, Chen Fenghe, and Lin Yaman to Sigma District on the condition that they followed his arrangements.

Qin Siyang learned that strange new ores had appeared in the soft crystal mine and concluded that the departing Rock Core Being had left them for him. He agreed to share the find with Yu Yongyou, who offered the Yu Family twenty percent, and asked him to keep the discovery secret and collect samples.

• Qin Siyang urged Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang to visit Professor Lu, pass along pharmaceuticals, and share only the first part of the Apocalypse Fragment.
• Yu Yongyou told Qin Siyang that the soft crystal mine had softened and was filled with unfamiliar ores that seemed to have formed within two days.
• Qin Siyang inferred that the Rock Core Being had left the ores for him and confirmed that Yu Yongyou and his fifth uncle were the only ones who knew about them.
• Qin Siyang offered Yu Yongyou half the ores, but Yu Yongyou proposed that Qin take eighty percent and the Yu Family keep twenty percent.
• Qin Siyang accepted the division and asked Yu Yongyou to keep the ores secret and have his fifth uncle collect a sample of each type.

Qin Siyang received samples from the Soft Crystal Mine and planned to have several groups study them, but Chu Xiaoang told him that Huo Dangkou had taken Chu Baxing hostage and demanded Zhou Bi’s death. Qin Siyang refused to involve Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang in the assassination, leaving Chu Xiaoang to seek another way to rescue his son.

• Yu Yongyou gave Qin Siyang samples of more than fifty kinds of ore from the Soft Crystal Mine, and Qin Siyang planned to divide them among three research groups.
• Old Johnny told Qin Siyang that Chu Xiaoang wanted to meet him, and Qin Siyang learned Old Johnny maintained a secure Signal Tower in Sigma District.
• At Johnny’s Tavern, Chu Xiaoang told Qin Siyang that Huo Dangkou had taken Chu Baxing hostage and demanded Zhou Bi’s death in exchange for his release.
• Chu Xiaoang asked Qin Siyang to have Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang help kill Zhou Bi on the last day of the year, but Qin Siyang refused.
• Qin Siyang asked about other ways to satisfy Huo Dangkou, but Chu Xiaoang said his only demand was Zhou Bi’s death and left the tavern.

Qin Siyang contacted Huo Dangkou and deduced that he was connected to the World-Destroying Church and would not release Chu Baxing through negotiation. He vowed to find and kill Huo Dangkou, then met Shan En, who told him Principal Zhao was also in the Sigma District.

• Qin Siyang asked Old Johnny to contact Huo Dangkou and arrange a conversation.
• Huo Dangkou thanked Qin Siyang for indirectly helping him escape house arrest and capture Chu Baxing, whom he was holding hostage to demand revenge for his father's murder.
• Qin Siyang challenged Huo Dangkou's identity and motives, deduced his connection to the World-Destroying Church, and concluded that Chu Baxing could not be negotiated free.
• Qin Siyang vowed to find and kill Huo Dangkou, then asked Old Johnny for apple juice and to contact Shan En.
• Shan En arrived and told Qin Siyang that Principal Zhao had also come to the Sigma District.
• Old Johnny returned with a call from Huo Dangkou, who wanted to speak to Qin Siyang again.

Qin Siyang used Huo Dangkou’s fear of death to force him into agreeing to meet at Old Johnny’s tavern the next morning. After Qin left, Zhao Longfei arrived with three mysterious companions, leaving Shan En puzzled by their presence.

• Qin Siyang threatened Huo Dangkou over the phone, and Huo agreed to meet him at Old Johnny’s tavern at eight the next morning while warning that Chu Baxing would die if Qin tried to kill him there.
• Shan En revealed that Old Johnny reported tavern activity to the World-Destroying Church but had hinted to Qin that Huo Dangkou belonged to it.
• Qin paid for the drinks and left the tavern.
• Zhao Longfei arrived with three companions and asked Shan En to look after some people.
• One of Zhao Longfei’s companions told him not to drink, and he meekly obeyed, prompting Shan En to ask who the three figures were.

Shan En reunited with Zhao Fengjun and learned Zhao Longfei had brought her and two other women for him to protect. Zhao Longfei also revealed that Zhao Longteng and Chu Xiaoang were each assembling a team to kill Jin Mian and Zhou Bi, setting the stage for a wider conflict.

• Zhao Fengjun confronted Shan En for faking his death and keeping the truth from her.
• Shan En privately berated Zhao Longfei for leaving Zhao Fengjun, Chen Fenghe, and Lin Yaman in his care.
• Zhao Longfei told Shan En that Zhao Longteng would not come to the Sigma District and that Shan En would take the lead there.
• Zhao Longfei explained that Chu Xiaoang was recruiting people to kill Zhou Bi, while Zhao Longteng was assembling a team to kill Jin Mian.
• Zhao Longfei argued that anger at the United Government and recent events had created an opportunity for the factions to unite.

Zhao Longfei laid out a plan for the factions to attack Zone 1 and the World-Destroying Church, then abandoned Shan En with the bill. After meeting Quan Taibin and delivering new ores, Qin Siyang prepared to meet Huo Dangkou, whom he had not yet identified at Johnny's Tavern.

• Zhao Longfei told Shan En that the Military had to join the fight against Zone 1 or face destruction, and described plans to attack Jin Mian, Zhou Bi, and the remnants in Zone 1.
• Zhao Longfei left Johnny's Tavern through the back door without paying, leaving Shan En with three figures and the bill.
• Qin Siyang carried newly extracted ores from Sigma District to Quan Taibin, who promised to use them to develop Tier Four and Tier Five Artifacts.
• Qin Siyang returned to his lodgings at five in the morning and rehearsed for his meeting with Huo Dangkou about Chu Baxing's life.
• Qin Siyang arrived early at Johnny's Tavern, where Old Johnny directed him toward a seat beside a thin, unidentified figure.

Qin Siyang met Huo Dangkou to negotiate Chu Baxing’s release, and Huo Dangkou offered to free him in exchange for the reward promised by the World-Destroying Church. The conversation left Qin Siyang considering the [Apocalypse Fragment] and learning that Sequences had existed secretly before they became public knowledge.

• Qin Siyang confronted Huo Dangkou, who explained that he had changed his build and wanted to discuss Chu Baxing’s release.
• Huo Dangkou said the World-Destroying Church had ordered him to hold Chu Baxing hostage so Chu Xiaoang would kill Zhou Bi, but he feared the church might not deliver its promised reward.
• Huo Dangkou offered to release Chu Baxing immediately if Qin Siyang could match the church’s reward, explaining that he wanted an [Apocalypse Fragment] to reach the Next Safe Zone.
• Qin Siyang realized he had recently acquired an [Apocalypse Fragment] and asked how Huo Dangkou knew what it contained.
• Huo Dangkou said his father, one of the first chosen people, had secretly used his Sequence Ability to eliminate rivals, and explained that early Sequence phenomena had been dismissed as supernatural nonsense.

Huo Dangkou explained why Sequence Abilities had gone unnoticed before their public reveal, then revealed the persecution and betrayal that drove him to seek escape from the Safe Zone. He left Qin Siyang with a warning about Zhou Bi and the danger facing good people.

• Huo Dangkou told Qin Siyang that early Sequence Ability users were too rare and their witnesses too few for the abilities to become widely known before the United Government’s announcement.
• Huo Dangkou described his father’s departure from Zone 1, Huo Sancai’s murder of him, and the abuse Huo Dangkou suffered afterward.
• Qin Siyang asked whether Huo Dangkou could stay and start over, but Huo Dangkou insisted he had to leave the Safe Zone and demanded an [Apocalypse Fragment], threatening Chu Baxing’s life if he did not get one.
• Huo Dangkou said Chu Xiaoang had agreed to kill Zhou Bi without hesitation and warned Qin Siyang that Zhou Bi had conspired with Huo Sancai to murder his father after he handed out free food.
• Huo Dangkou told Qin Siyang to watch himself because he was a good man, then left the tavern.

Qin Siyang learned that Chu Xiaoang still planned to kill Zhou Bi for an [Apocalypse Fragment] and shared the first part of the fragment with Yu Yongyou. As the World-Destroying Church meeting approached, Yu agreed to stay away, while Zhang Kuang prepared to research the mutated lightning sheep horns.

• Qin Siyang asked Chu Xiaoang for a spare [Apocalypse Fragment], but Chu Xiaoang said he intended to kill Zhou Bi to obtain one and rescue Chu Baxing.
• Shan En told Qin Siyang that business at [Yu Gu]'s shop had surged as people bought useful resources amid the growing danger in Sigma District.
• Qin Siyang revealed the first part of the [Apocalypse Fragment] to Yu Yongyou and advised him to avoid the World-Destroying Church's meeting.
• Yu Yongyou accepted Qin Siyang's advice and decided to remain at Yu's Mining during the meeting.
• Zhang Kuang told Qin Siyang that he had restored his memories and planned to research the mutated lightning sheep horns, though he would not finish before the meeting.

Qin Siyang prepared for the World-Destroying Church’s meeting about the [Apocalypse Fragment] and tried unsuccessfully to trigger more [Primordial Starshine] by approaching death. After making final calls and leaving his plans with Zhao Sifang, he rested before heading toward the meeting site.

• Qin Siyang gave Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang unfamiliar minerals from the Soft Crystal Mine and said they could be mined in bulk after the professors studied them.
• Lu Daoxing told Qin Siyang that the World-Destroying Church would reveal the [Apocalypse Fragment] at noon on December 31 and that Yusi and all the Envoys would attend.
• Qin Siyang tried to bring himself near death, then asked Li Tianming to slash his throat, but neither attempt produced new [Primordial Starshine].
• Qin Siyang returned to the Safe Zone in the Drill Pod and told Zhao Sifang where to find his hidden Storage Box and how to distribute its contents if he did not return.
• Qin Siyang called Wang Defa, learned that the Legion was progressing well, and asked the troops to keep training; his call to Wen Shu did not connect.
• Qin Siyang returned to the Sigma District and rested at Yu's Mining before the December 31 meeting.

Qin Siyang took Hu Chan and Yu Ziying to the World-Destroying Church’s meeting, where Hu Chan revealed he intended to kill Ulit and Jin Shengyu. As the announcement drew near, Qin Siyang saw five prominent opponents of the church waiting openly at the site and realized Olof was a powerful figure who had once approached him.

• Qin Siyang told Hu Chan and Yu Ziying the truth about the apocalypse, shocking them with the revelation that their struggles had been arranged by a godlike being.
• Hu Chan insisted on attending the meeting to kill Ulit and Jin Shengyu, despite Secretary-General Gu’s warning.
• Qin Siyang asked Hu Chan to disguise the group and relay messages while he remained inside the Drill Pod.
• Qin Siyang scanned the meeting site and found that only five people had appeared openly, though he suspected others were concealed.
• Qin Siyang identified Gu Weiyang, Zhu Haifeng, Qi Tian, Fan Baoluo, and Olof waiting at the site as opponents of the World-Destroying Church.
• Seeing Olof among them, Qin Siyang realized that the detective he had clashed with in Zone 14121 was a powerful figure who had approached him soon after his rebirth.

At the appointed time, the World-Destroying Church transported more than a hundred hidden attendees to the wasteland and stripped away their disguises. Its five Envoys appeared in the sky, but one was interrupted before he could finish addressing the crowd.

• At eleven thirty, a flash and tremor lifted Qin Siyang's Drill Pod aboveground and ended Hu Chan's and Yu Ziying's disguises.
• More than a hundred hidden attendees appeared across the wasteland, including leaders, officials, scholars, criminals, and unfamiliar faces.
• Gu Weiyang observed that everyone who should and should not have attended had gathered.
• Five Envoys of the World-Destroying Church appeared in the sky, while Qi Tian dismissed their display and Gu Weiyang watched calmly.
• The central Envoy, Manderson, thanked the crowd for attending, but someone cut him off by saying he talked too much.