Chapter Summaries

Wang Xugong committed War Readiness Zone 582 to its defensive counterattack as Margaret’s group reached its shield and failed to break through. The shield held, but Granny Hua’s blast destroyed the overhead glass, forcing the invaders to leave before the gods arrived.

• Wang Xugong ended his argument with his mother, ordered Zone 582’s personnel to hold their posts, and publicly showed his resolve.
• Zone 582’s officials reinforced their defensive positions while Margaret and her companions stopped before the shield.
• Granny Hua attacked the shield with explosive petals, destroying the overhead blast-resistant glass but leaving the shield intact.
• Zone 582’s defenders celebrated, and Olof welcomed the successful defense of the first attack.
• Sima Ji found no opening in the shield and told Margaret’s group they had to leave before the gods arrived.
• Sima Ji blamed Granny Hua for using a massive bombardment that destroyed the glass and attracted attention.

After failing to break through War Readiness Zone 582, Sima Ji’s group bypassed the defenses and headed toward War Readiness Zone 1, where Qian Wendao prepared to face them. Their advance abruptly stopped near the 152nd War Readiness Zone, giving its defenders a chance to attack.

• Sima Ji ordered the group to abandon their assault on War Readiness Zone 582 and head for the Domain Master’s location; Granny Hua and the others agreed.
• Wang Xugong realized the invaders were moving deeper into the Safe Zone and warned Olof that they might be targeting War Readiness Zone 1.
• Olof, Qian Wendao, and the officials concluded the invaders might be coming for Qian Wendao, and Qian asked War Readiness Zone 1 to reinforce its defenses.
• The invaders bypassed several War Readiness Zones, evading interception as they moved toward Zone 1.
• Guan Shanyue reported that the invaders had suddenly stopped near the 152nd War Readiness Zone, then ordered its defensive lines to fire across the widest possible area.

Margaret and her party discovered that their skill cooldowns had quadrupled, and Sima Ji concluded that the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master had gained a trial reward that weakened outsiders. With their strength diminished, the group decided to retreat after taking more spoils from nearby factories.

• Guan Shanyue halted the 152nd War Readiness Zone’s attacks after Margaret’s party evaded another barrage, and ordered his troops to prepare a defensive counterattack.
• Alan, Granny Hua, and the others realized that all their skill cooldowns had suddenly become four times longer.
• Margaret ruled out nearby skills and Tools as the cause, while Sima Ji blamed a [Succession Trial] reward from a Large God that targeted invaders.
• Margaret revealed that Sima Ji had known about rewards offered by Large Gods at domain boundaries, prompting Alan and Granny Hua to confront him for keeping the information from them.
• Sima Ji proposed retreating because their strength had been weakened and some followers were unwell; Margaret agreed but planned to take spoils from nearby factory buildings first.

Guan Shanyue investigated why the Prosperity Garment Factory had been built outside the 152nd War Readiness Zone’s defenses and learned that Chen Gongrang had arranged its permits. As Margaret’s group left, they killed more than thirty workers still inside, and Guan Shanyue discovered the factory director was Shao Xiaojing.

• Guan Shanyue demanded an explanation from Sun Xi and Liu Fuhe after learning the Prosperity Garment Factory stood outside the defensive perimeter.
• Sun Xi and Liu Fuhe said Chen Gongrang had pressured them to approve the factory’s permits, and Guan Shanyue accused them of seeking favor with the governor.
• Guan Shanyue saw more than thirty factory workers floating in the air as invisible force strangled them to death.
• A long-haired man opened a Storage Box and collected the corpses before Margaret’s group withdrew.
• Sun Xi and Liu Fuhe identified the factory director as Shao Xiaojing, the daughter of Shao Xiaoxiang.

After the attack ended, Guan Shanyue faced scrutiny over an illegal factory where dozens of workers had been killed and taken. He learned that the factory director had ordered workers to ignore the alert, and his fury erupted as the investigation continued.

• Guan Shanyue ordered Bureau Chief Kang to arrest the factory managers and bring Shao Xiaojing to his office, then announced that the 152nd War Readiness Zone had repelled the invaders.
• Guan Shanyue accepted responsibility for the deaths and waited to question someone from the factory.
• Olof told Qian Wendao that the twenty intruders had left the Safe Zone by another route, while Wei Rulai asked Qian to let Guan return to his legion if he lost his post.
• Kang Yuan brought the handcuffed deputy factory director, Li Hao, to Guan Shanyue, explaining that Shao Xiaojing was not in the zone.
• Guan Shanyue used the Lie Detector as Li Hao revealed that the factory director had ordered the workers to ignore the First-Level Alert to keep production going.
• Guan Shanyue attacked Li Hao in anger, but Kang Yuan restrained him and warned that extrajudicial punishment was a serious crime.

Qin Siyang, Qian Wendao, and Wei Rulai discussed a more mobile military response after enemies attacked the Safe Zone, then read Chen Zhongming’s report about an unauthorized factory and the people responsible. The report cleared Chen Zhongming and Guan Shanyue of major wrongdoing but revealed that Chen Zhongming’s son, Chen Gongrang, had helped set up the factory with Shao Xiaojing.

• Qin Siyang told Qian Wendao and Wei Rulai that the enemy had killed more than thirty people in the Safe Zone and taken their bodies.
• Qin Siyang proposed mobile defenses and active attacks, and Wei Rulai agreed to lead the effort with Li Tianming’s help.
• Qin Siyang questioned why a factory had operated outside the War Readiness Zones and why its workers had remained after the level-one alert.
• Qian Wendao shared Chen Zhongming’s report, which showed that Chen Gongrang and Shao Xiaojing had arranged the unauthorized factory and construction.
• Qin Siyang concluded that Chen Zhongming had known nothing about his son’s actions and regretted how badly Chen Gongrang had compromised him.

Qian Wendao and Qin Siyang discussed punishments and personnel changes after the illegal factory disaster, then Qin Siyang revealed that passing a Large God's Succession Trial had helped drive the invaders away. The chapter ended with Qin Siyang explaining that the outsiders had also suffered severe suppression inside their Evolutionary Sequence Domain.

• Qian Wendao ordered Chen Gongrang, Shao Xiaojing, Sun Xi, Liu Fuhe, and relevant factory personnel taken into custody and investigated.
• Qian Wendao and Qin Siyang agreed to send Chen Zhongming home temporarily and have Kav serve as governor of State No. 2.
• Wei Rulai agreed to transfer Guan Shanyue back to his Wei Character Legion, while Qin Siyang offered to compensate him privately for taking the blame.
• After Wei Rulai left, Qian Wendao asked Qin Siyang what had happened outside, and Qin Siyang revealed that he had passed a Large God's Succession Trial.
• Qin Siyang told Qian Wendao that he chose a reward that greatly increased outsiders' skill cooldowns, and said their severe suppression inside the Evolutionary Sequence Domain had also contributed to their retreat.

Qin Siyang explained to Qian Wendao how the Sturgeon Crocodile had hinted that their evolutionary sequence domain suppressed outside invaders and urged him to choose a reward that increased their skill cooldowns. He proposed preparing strong people to pass the Succession Trial so that killing an enemy could create a native domain sequence user.

• Qin Siyang told Qian Wendao that the Sturgeon Crocodile had described two rewards: the Fear skill and an ability that increased outside invaders' skill cooldowns.
• Qin Siyang explained that the Sturgeon Crocodile's hints led him to suspect the Large God wanted to help humanity but could not reveal too much without being forced to leave Earth.
• Qin Siyang said the Sturgeon Crocodile called their evolutionary sequence domain the Eighth Domain and encouraged him to choose the cooldown reward.
• Qian Wendao thanked Qin Siyang for helping them survive the crisis, then worried that the next enemy attack would be more dangerous.
• Qin Siyang proposed having strong people pass the Sturgeon Crocodile's Succession Trial so they could kill an enemy and create a native domain sequence user.

Qian Wendao and Qin Siyang discussed how to counter the powerful outsiders threatening the Safe Zone, then revealed that Qian had been posing as the Domain Master to protect Qin. Qian accepted the danger of serving as a decoy while Qin remained in the Sigma District.

• Qian Wendao warned Qin Siyang that breaking through to the domain sequence might not be enough to defeat the outsiders’ strongest fighters.
• Qin Siyang argued that the outsiders were suppressed inside the Evolutionary Sequence Domain, and Qian suggested their power might be limited in some other way.
• Qian Wendao told Qin Siyang to return to the Sigma District and keep order among its tens of millions of residents.
• Qin Siyang confronted Qian Wendao, realizing the outsiders had mistaken him for the Domain Master and that Qian was trying to draw their attention away from Qin.
• Qian Wendao confirmed he was posing as the Domain Master and said he would accept the danger to protect Qin and the Safe Zone.

Margaret, Alan, Granny Hua, and Sima Ji discussed their losses in the Eighth Domain and planned another attack on its Domain Master. After the others departed, Liu Xiaofa revealed the Domain Master's name, and Sima Ji recognized it with shock.

• Margaret and her party left the Eighth Domain by boat, having lost several powerful subordinates to attacks by the Gods.
• Margaret, Alan, Granny Hua, and Sima Ji blamed the Eighth Domain's different social order for making its Domain Master a threat to their established control.
• Margaret asked Alan when they could attack again, and Alan requested a month to prepare his toys.
• Margaret, Granny Hua, and Alan departed, leaving Sima Ji with Liu Xiaofa by the River.
• Liu Xiaofa told Sima Ji that the Eighth Domain's Domain Master was named Qian Wendao, and Sima Ji reacted with recognition.

Power Bull and the others discussed Qin Siyang’s success in the Domain Master trial and the danger facing the Eighth Domain after invaders took native corpses. Power Bull believed Qin Siyang might still survive against the odds as a potential Miracle Worker.

• Power Bull, Red Carp, and the Sturgeon Crocodiles played cards while discussing how much they should risk helping the Eighth Domain’s Domain Master.
• The returning Sturgeon Crocodile praised Qin Siyang for passing the trial quickly and thoughtfully following advice.
• Red Carp warned that the invaders might use the corpses they took to evade domain suppression when they returned.
• Power Bull said the Eighth Domain’s situation seemed hopeless but recalled that past Miracle Workers had overcome similarly desperate trials.
• Power Bull said Qin Siyang might become a Miracle Worker and warned the others not to mistake themselves for real gods.

After Chen Gongrang was arrested for his role in the illegal factory, Chen Zhongming learned his son would not face execution and accepted his own fall from office. He accused Shao Xiaoxiang of using Shao Xiaojing to manipulate Chen Gongrang and urged him to turn himself in.

• Qian Wendao and Qin Siyang ordered Tang Wangong to arrest everyone connected to the illegal factory, and Chen Gongrang and Shao Xiaojing were sent to the Department of Justice for trial.
• Qin Siyang appointed Kav governor of State No. 2 and sent Chen Zhongming home, while Sun Linshou conveyed that Chen Gongrang had not caused the workers' deaths and would not be executed.
• Chen Zhongming brooded over his ruined reputation and his failure to raise his son as Shao Xiaoxiang called to propose that they work together.
• Chen Zhongming rejected Shao Xiaoxiang's appeal and accused him of deliberately using Shao Xiaojing to draw Chen Gongrang into the illegal factory and gain access to Qin Siyang.
• Chen Zhongming said Chen Gongrang would likely be exiled to Giant Ridge, warned that Shao Xiaojing faced execution, and told Shao Xiaoxiang to turn himself in.

Chen Zhongming watched the Department of Justice sentence those responsible for the Prosperity Garment Factory deaths, and Shao Xiaoxiang’s sentence changed from exile to execution after Shao Xiaojing exposed his other crimes. Chen Gongrang was exiled to Giant Ridge, where his father urged him to survive and return.

• Chen Zhongming warned Shao Xiaoxiang that he would pay for his actions, then stopped answering his calls and messages.
• Sun Linshou announced the verdicts: Shao Xiaojing was sentenced to death, Shao Xiaoxiang and Chen Gongrang to exile at Giant Ridge, and Sun Xi and Liu Fuhe to prison and permanent dismissal.
• Shao Xiaoxiang appealed his exile while refusing to arrange a defense for Shao Xiaojing, who then exposed his role in Lü Boming’s murder and his collusion with the World-Destroying Church.
• Investigators found evidence against Shao Xiaoxiang, and the United Government changed his sentence to execution alongside Shao Xiaojing; the Shao Family’s shares were reclaimed.
• Chen Zhongming visited Chen Gongrang before his exile and advised him to hunt lone gods carefully, complete his quota, and come back alive.

With the Safe Zone worried that the invaders may return for the bodies, Wei Rulai and Li Tianming led intensive training in the mobile defensive fortress strategy. The chapter ended with Wei Rulai explaining that he adapted his selfish ways because the Safe Zone’s survival now depended on everyone.

• Qian Wendao summoned the Safe Zone’s strongest fighters to discuss the threat posed by the invaders.
• Wei Rulai reprimanded Wang Deyou and the legions for slow encirclement drills, stressing that the Safe Zone’s survival depended on their training.
• Wei Rulai asked Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang whether the drills could trap the agile enemy, and they admitted the outcome was uncertain.
• Zhang Kuang told Wei Rulai that researchers were upgrading the presence-concealment device from tier four to tier five.
• Li Tianming questioned Wei Rulai’s commitment to the training, and Wei Rulai said changing circumstances had made him more selfless.

Qin Siyang joined Olof’s meeting, where Olof presented an analysis of the outside invaders’ weaknesses based on surveillance footage. Olof’s first finding was that the invaders’ technology lagged behind the Safe Zone’s, and he left the group to consider what that could mean for their next battle.

• Qin Siyang set aside his planned day of rest and joined Olof’s meeting about the invaders’ weaknesses.
• Olof gathered senior United Government officials and faction leaders to hear the findings and offer suggestions.
• Wei Rulai brought up Olof’s ties to Beirong, while Olof ignored the remarks and continued the meeting.
• Olof said the invaders’ technological research lagged behind the Safe Zone’s and argued that their best artifacts were likely Tier Four.

Olof and the others discussed why rival Safe Zones had stronger fighters but weaker technology, and Qian Wendao explained the roles of population, social conditions, and historical era. The gathering drifted into longing for the pre-Apocalypse world, but Olof concluded that they could never safely return to it.

• Olof argued that the other Safe Zones’ powerful fighters had equipment no better than theirs, suggesting their technology was inferior.
• Fan Baoluo questioned why the other Safe Zones had not advanced technologically despite arriving earlier, and Qian Wendao attributed the gap to their small, enslaved populations and their earlier historical eras.
• Qian Wendao recalled how amazed he had been by modern phones, Signal Towers, and touchscreen devices, and Qin Siyang reflected on how much longer Qian Wendao had been separated from civilization.
• Wei Rulai wondered how the world without catastrophe or Gods had developed, and Han Shuo said that world seemed more reassuring and asked when they could return.
• Olof said they could not go back because their superhuman powers and many killings had made them dangerous to people in a peaceful society.

Olof presented a plan to use Tier Five Artifacts and mobile fortresses to trap and kill the invaders, then argued that the invaders could not fight gods. The meeting ended with Qian Wendao supporting that theory, while Qin Siyang noticed Qian was again keeping their shared role in the conclusion out of view.

• Li Tianming asked Qian Wendao about item research in his former Safe Zone, and Qian explained that it had stagnated at Tier Three armor.
• Olof proposed using Tier Five Artifacts with Wei Rulai’s mobile fortresses to surround the invaders, and said he had developed several artifacts with help from Ma Shi and Li Tianming.
• Olof handed the artifacts to Wei Rulai for the soldiers to use, prompting an awkward exchange when Wei praised him for surrendering his trump cards.
• Olof claimed that the invaders feared the gods, citing their detour around War Readiness Zone 582, while Xie Nanyun questioned the lack of footage showing them fighting gods.
• Qian Wendao argued that the invaders had likely been blocked from entering the Safe Zone by an obstacle, and Qin Siyang realized Qian was presenting their shared conclusion without mentioning him.

Qian Wendao and Olof discussed how the [Evolutionary Sequence Domain] and River Ridge might hinder invaders, while Old Johnny revealed that he came from the previous [Evolutionary Sequence Domain]. He identified several leaders among the earlier invaders and warned that multiple Safe Zones may have united against them, leaving the group to face a threat from all of Earth.

• Qian Wendao argued that suppression within the [Evolutionary Sequence Domain] and River Ridge were likely barriers to the invaders, and advised boundary soldiers to retreat and sound the alarm if they spotted strangers.
• Chu Baxing accepted Qian Wendao's plan as an imperfect way to protect the soldiers stationed at River Ridge.
• Old Johnny revealed that he, like Qian Wendao, came from the previous [Evolutionary Sequence Domain].
• Old Johnny identified Sima Ji as the previous domain's ruler and strongest fighter, and Liu Xiaofa as Sima Ji's powerful right-hand man.
• Old Johnny concluded that several [Evolutionary Sequence Domains] may have joined forces to invade the Safe Zone and that their enemy was all of Earth.

Qian Wendao confirmed the grim truth about Sima Ji and revealed that outside warriors had come to help but died before reaching the Safe Zone. As the meeting turned toward exploiting the invaders’ fear of gods, Yan Bunan offered to lure them into a trap.

• Qian Wendao confirmed Old Johnny’s account of Sima Ji and said the invaders’ identity would not change their resolve to fight.
• Qian Wendao revealed that allied warriors from outside had died under the gods’ suppression before reaching the Safe Zone, though their arrival proved the Safe Zone was not without help.
• Zhu Haifeng argued that the invaders’ fear of gods would be difficult to exploit because gods moved slowly and were easy to detect.
• Yan Bunan offered to use his experience with traps and bait to lure the invaders, and Qian Wendao and Wei Rulai supported his proposal.

Qian Wendao gathered the Safe Zone's strongest fighters and revealed the three requirements for advancing beyond origin sequence level five into the domain sequence. He said he would help them face the Large God's Succession Trial, leaving the group to consider the difficult conditions for breakthrough.

• Yan Bunan proposed forming a Trap Battalion from elite fighters, and Qin Siyang told him and Wei Rulai to focus on defending War Readiness Zone 1 rather than deploying forces to the Sigma District.
• Qian Wendao asked fighters at origin sequence level four or above to report their strength so he could assign them defensive positions.
• Qin Siyang reported his strength and waited in the Sigma District until Qian Wendao invited him to a smaller meeting with other powerful fighters.
• Qian Wendao revealed that the dying visitors from other Safe Zones had provided information about advancing beyond origin sequence level five.
• Qian Wendao listed three breakthrough requirements: obtain all primordial starshine, kill an enemy at origin sequence level five or above, and pass a Large God's Succession Trial.