Chapter Summaries

Qi Xia and the others left Human Dragon and found themselves in a ruined city beneath a dark red sky, where an electronic display announced the echo of “Calamity Summoning.” They headed to a damaged convenience store to treat Han Yimo’s wound and encountered a silent bull-masked figure guarding a restaurant.

• Human Dragon told Qi Xia that people earned “Dao” by voluntarily entering games, and Qi Xia resolved to find a way out for someone waiting for him.
• The group emerged into a ruined city with no sign of the door or Human Dragon, and they found a message about the echo of “Calamity Summoning” on a large display.
• Han Yimo wondered if they were dead, while Doctor Zhao warned that his wound needed treatment; Lin Qin spotted a convenience store where they might find supplies.
• The group approached the convenience store and noticed a motionless bull-masked man standing outside a restaurant across the road.
• Officer Li opened the store, where a fresh mixture of blood, rot, and burning smells made Zhang Chenze retch as Qi Xia entered.

Qi Xia and the others found a deranged clerk in the abandoned convenience store while searching for supplies to treat Han Yimo. The clerk offered them a rusty fishhook and fishing line as “needle and thread,” leaving them to decide whether it could help.

• After finding no medical supplies in the convenience store, the group watched a gaunt girl emerge from the staff room and identify herself as the clerk.
• Qi Xia asked whether the clerk had a needle and thread, and she seized his wrist and dragged him into the staff room.
• Officer Li and Doctor Zhao followed to pull Qi Xia free, but the clerk let go and searched through a box for the requested item.
• Qiao Jiajin noticed something simmering in a pot and asked what it was, and the clerk said it was a piglet.
• The clerk showed them a rusty fishhook and tangled fishing line, and Doctor Zhao asked whether she had any other needle and thread.

Qi Xia traded a golden “Dao” for a fishhook and fishing line after the shopkeeper demanded that the group sleep with her. Doctor Zhao began stitching Han Yimo’s wound, while the shopkeeper’s offer and the lost “Dao” remained unresolved.

• The shopkeeper offered the fishhook and fishing line in exchange for sleeping with Qi Xia and the others, then became distracted by the piglets in her pot.
• Qi Xia took the fishhook and fishing line while the shopkeeper was distracted, and Doctor Zhao used them to prepare to treat Han Yimo.
• Doctor Zhao removed the fishing spear from Han Yimo and began stitching his wound without anesthetic as Lin Qin and the others held him still.
• Qi Xia offered the shopkeeper a golden “Dao” instead of sleeping with her, but she bit and swallowed it before telling the men to leave.
• Doctor Zhao drove the fishhook through Han Yimo’s flesh and urged him to stay conscious by talking about his writing.

As Doctor Zhao stitched Han Yimo's wound, Qi Xia argued with Lin Qin and decided to seek out more 'Dao' rather than wait. The group was interrupted by the shop assistant, who emerged naked and offered Zhang Chenze a cooked baby's arm.

• Doctor Zhao warned Han Yimo that blood loss was causing hallucinations while stitching his wound.
• Qi Xia told Lin Qin he was thinking of his wife, then angrily rebuked her for insulting her.
• Qi Xia announced he was leaving to look for 'Dao,' despite Officer Li warning that collecting 3,600 would be nearly impossible.
• The shop assistant emerged naked from the staff room, and Zhang Chenze covered her with her jacket.
• The shop assistant offered Zhang Chenze a boiled baby's arm.

Qi Xia and the others discovered that the shop assistant had eaten the newborn she called a piglet, deepening their fear of the strange city. The group split over whether to stay or explore, and Qi Xia’s party decided to wait until morning before venturing out.

• Zhang Chenze saw the shop assistant holding a cooked infant’s arm, and Qi Xia realized she had eaten her newborn, whom she insisted was a piglet.
• Qi Xia argued that they could not remain in the city indefinitely, while Xiao Ran and others warned that exploring was dangerous and they lacked food and water.
• Doctor Zhao, Han Yimo, Xiao Ran, Officer Li, and Zhang Chenze chose to stay behind, while Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin planned to go out.
• Tiantian joined Qi Xia’s group, describing a dividing wall between their social roles, and Lin Qin joined them too, saying she could help by understanding human nature.
• As darkness fell, Lin Qin recommended that the group wait until tomorrow to explore.

The group spent the night wondering whether others had entered the strange city before them, then awoke to find Han Yimo impaled by a huge black sword. As Qi Xia suffered a sudden bout of pain, the survivors realized Han Yimo had been murdered and the killer might be among them.

• Lin Qin persuaded Qi Xia to stay inside as darkness fell, and he thought of escaping to reunite with Yu Nian'an.
• Qiao Jiajin asked whether other participants might be in the city, and Qi Xia considered whether the shop assistant had arrived through the doors earlier.
• Officer Li questioned Doctor Zhao about how the malnourished shop assistant could have given birth, but Doctor Zhao could not offer a definite answer.
• A loud bell woke the group, and they found Han Yimo pinned to the floor by a huge black sword.
• Han Yimo died after trying to warn Qi Xia about the Seven Black Sword, and Qi Xia collapsed with a sudden headache.
• Xiao Ran pointed out that Han Yimo had been murdered, leading the survivors to suspect the killer was still among them.

After Han Yimo was found impaled by the Seven Black Sword, Qi Xia challenged the suspicion against him and then claimed he had killed Han Yimo. He left the Convenience Store with Qiao Jiajin, Tiantian, and Lin Qin, but Xiao Ran stopped them to demand the four 'Dao'.

• Zhang Chenze questioned Qi Xia about Han Yimo's death, and Qi Xia pulled the enormous sword from the ground to examine it.
• Qi Xia found the name Seven Black Sword engraved near the hilt and wondered why Han Yimo had mentioned it despite not being able to see the inscription.
• Xiao Ran accused Qi Xia of killing Han Yimo, while Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin challenged her reasoning.
• Qi Xia admitted to killing Han Yimo and walked out of the Convenience Store, followed by Qiao Jiajin, Tiantian, and Lin Qin.
• Xiao Ran ran after the four and demanded that they hand over the four 'Dao' the group had won.

Qi Xia refused Xiao Ran and Doctor Zhao’s demand for two of his remaining Dao, and threatened to expose Doctor Zhao by inventing a story about Han Yimo’s death. Officer Li rejected Xiao Ran’s claim but accepted one Dao from Qi Xia, leaving the group’s conflict unresolved.

• Qi Xia said he had only three Dao left because he had traded one for fishing gear, and Xiao Ran demanded that he return two to her team.
• Tiantian, Qiao Jiajin, and Lin Qin challenged Xiao Ran’s demand, while Qi Xia refused to hand over any Dao to people who planned to wait out the games.
• Doctor Zhao claimed the Dao belonged to everyone, so Qi Xia accused him of saying they should let Han Yimo die, then admitted he had made up the accusation.
• Xiao Ran began to suspect Doctor Zhao, while Officer Li said Qi Xia had earned the Dao and did not owe the team a share.
• Qi Xia gave Officer Li one Dao to hold, saying it would make the two he kept seem clean, but Officer Li stayed with the group.

Qi Xia and the others investigated the bell and the vanished message in the square, while Officer Li chose to make the Convenience Store his base. An old man who claimed the answer was to bet one’s life recognized that Qiao Jiajin had already met Celestial Dragon and left warning that they could not win.

• Lin Qin warned Officer Li that the crazed shop assistant was the prime suspect in Han Yimo’s death and that his teammates might not be trustworthy, so he decided to use the Convenience Store as his base.
• Qi Xia led Lin Qin, Qiao Jiajin, and Tiantian to the square to investigate the bell that had rung when Han Yimo died.
• The group found the display blank and recalled its earlier message, “I heard the Echo of Calamity Summoning,” but Qi Xia said they lacked enough information to understand it.
• A withered old man appeared and told Qi Xia that the answer was to bet his life, then tried to grab him.
• The old man realized Qiao Jiajin had already met Celestial Dragon and walked away, muttering that they could not defeat him and that the Chinese Zodiac had returned.

Qi Xia questioned Lin Qin’s reasons for following him, then joined Qiao Jiajin as they searched for a game. They found Human Rat’s warehouse trial, and Tiantian entered it despite saying that escaping no longer mattered to her.

• Qi Xia told Lin Qin that he wanted to escape and return to his wife, Yu Nian'an, but Lin Qin refused to leave him.
• Qiao Jiajin reaffirmed his partnership with Qi Xia, while Tiantian wondered whether returning to her old life was worth escaping for.
• The group found Human Rat, who explained that one player could pay one Dao to search her warehouse for another Dao within five minutes.
• Tiantian paid the admission fee and entered the warehouse as Human Rat began the trial.

Tiantian failed Human Rat’s five-minute “Seeking the Way” game, and Qi Xia realized the rules held more risk than the group had assumed. He chose to play again, betting his life.

• Tiantian overturned the shelves and boxes, then searched the dark room but failed to find the Dao.
• Tiantian guessed that the Dao might be hidden inside one of the cans, but Human Rat declared the challenge over.
• Qiao Jiajin proposed trying again, but Qi Xia stopped him and asked Human Rat to repeat the rules.
• Human Rat revealed that the room had reset and explained that playing “Seeking the Way” cost one Dao, with one Dao hidden inside for five minutes.
• Qi Xia agreed to play again and said he was betting his life.

Qi Xia wagered his life in Human Rat’s search game and found the Dao hidden on her before the game could properly begin. After Human Rat fled, Vermilion Bird stopped her and enforced the wager, but Qi Xia asked him to spare her, and Vermilion Bird let her go.

• Qi Xia wagered his life to enter Human Rat’s search game, alarming Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin.
• Qi Xia took a Dao from Human Rat’s pocket and explained that the Dao in the room would disappear when the door closed.
• Qi Xia revealed that Human Rat had known Tiantian failed because no Dao could remain in the closed room, and deduced that the rodent clue pointed to something hidden in a mouth.
• Human Rat shoved Qi Xia aside and ran, but Vermilion Bird appeared and stopped her.
• Qi Xia told Vermilion Bird he only wanted Dao and did not want Human Rat’s life, so Vermilion Bird released her.

Qi Xia watched Vermilion Bird kill Human Rat after Qi Xia won their wager, then learned the masked game organizers were participants too. As Human Rat died, she gave Qi Xia her Dao, and he suddenly suffered a splitting headache.

• Human Rat thanked Qi Xia, but Vermilion Bird stabbed her, removed her mask, and revealed she was a teenage girl.
• Qiao Jiajin shouted at Vermilion Bird for killing Human Rat, while Qi Xia realized his wager had cost the girl's life.
• Vermilion Bird recognized Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, and Zhang Lijuan, then threatened Qi Xia and vanished after declaring he was destined to die there.
• Human Rat gave Qi Xia her Dao and died, saying everyone was a participant and she wished she had never worn the Rat mask.
• Lin Qin asked Qi Xia if he was okay, and Qi Xia suddenly clutched his head and cried out in pain.

Qi Xia concluded that the strange land enforced rules designed to keep participants from killing one another, and he proposed testing its games to earn enough Dao to escape. He left the group with a plan to take turns gathering clues before he bet his life, then split their winnings.

• After recovering from another headache, Qi Xia discussed the rules and administrators with Lin Qin, Tiantian, and Qiao Jiajin.
• Qi Xia proposed killing other people to obtain their Dao, and Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, and Tiantian each refused.
• Qi Xia revealed he had been testing their values and said he would abandon anyone willing to kill for Dao.
• Qi Xia reasoned that the administrators acted like referees who allowed people to die in games but prevented them from killing each other.
• Qi Xia proposed that the group test the games, gather clues, and eventually have him bet his life, splitting their Dao winnings until they reached three thousand six hundred.

Qi Xia and his companions traveled deeper into the ruined city, where Lin Qin’s unfamiliarity with flyers raised their suspicions about her. They met a wary man who invited them to join a game for Dao.

• Tiantian told Qi Xia that she was cooperating only to claim her share of the Dao and might betray him, and Qi Xia accepted the arrangement.
• Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, and Tiantian ventured deeper into the city and encountered more natives and Animal Masks.
• A native dropped a worn flyer, and Lin Qin’s admission that she had never seen one made Qi Xia and the others question who she was.
• A bespectacled man called to Qi Xia’s group, referred to them as “Normal People,” and offered to earn Dao together by playing a game.

Qi Xia and his companions joined a group preparing to enter Earth Ox’s game, which promised a large Dao reward for those who cleared it. As the group waited for its twentieth player, Qi Xia overheard someone warn that the game could be deadly, and a scarred man approached.

• A bespectacled man invited Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, and Tiantian to join an ox game, and Qi Xia agreed to investigate.
• Earth Ox explained that each player had to pay one Dao to enter and that every player who cleared the game would receive Dao equal to the number who cleared it.
• Qi Xia suspected the game would test physical strength, while Qiao Jiajin joked about proving himself and getting Qi Xia to call him boss.
• The group waited at nineteen players as Four-Eyes and a middle-aged man discussed the missing twentieth participant.
• Qi Xia overheard the middle-aged man say he did not want to die without knowing why, then saw a scarred, bare-chested man approach.

Qi Xia and his companions paid to join Earth Ox’s twenty-person game, only to be split into two teams by a random assignment. Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin entered the yellow team’s arena while Tiantian and Lin Qin joined the green team, and the chapter ended as the yellow team entered an enclosed arena with an iron plate and a ten-minute countdown.

• A burly man arrived and paid one Dao to join the game, and Qi Xia and his companions paid four Dao to participate.
• Earth Ox led the twenty participants underground and announced a random team assignment, separating Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin from Tiantian and Lin Qin.
• The lights assigned Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin to the yellow team and Tiantian and Lin Qin to the green team.
• Earth Ox said each team would play independently and that anyone surviving ten minutes without elimination would pass, but he did not explain what game they would face.
• Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin followed the yellow team down to an enclosed arena, where they saw a round iron plate and a countdown clock set to ten minutes.

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin faced a huge black bear in a sealed arena, where playing dead proved fatal. They decided to use the iron plate for protection, and Qiao Jiajin began distracting the bear while Qi Xia moved to retrieve it.

• The gate opened, revealing an enormous black bear, and the arena sealed behind it.
• Qi Xia warned everyone that playing dead would not stop a hungry black bear, but several contestants ignored him.
• The bear killed a woman who had played dead, causing the other contestants to scatter.
• Qi Xia told Qiao Jiajin to distract the bear while he retrieved the iron plate from the center of the arena.
• Qiao Jiajin approached and taunted the bear, which rose onto its hind legs and roared at him.

Qi Xia searched for a way to use the iron plate while Qiao Jiajin kept the bear occupied, but the other participants fought over the plate instead of working together. With Qiao Jiajin cornered and the group in chaos, Qi Xia realized he had to act before the bear killed him.

• Qiao Jiajin fled from the charging bear while Qi Xia examined the rusted iron plate and found no obvious mechanism or clue.
• Old Lu knocked Qi Xia aside, moved the plate into a corner, and hid behind it alone.
• A young woman and the bespectacled young man crowded behind the plate, drawing the others into a fight over the only apparent shelter.
• The participants abandoned the plate and brawled while the bear cornered Qiao Jiajin and attacked him again.
• Qi Xia realized Qiao Jiajin would die unless he intervened.

Qi Xia devised a way to use the iron plate to shield the group from the black bear, with Qiao Jiajin controlling it and Qi Xia directing him. When the middle-aged man and Glasses tried to interfere, Qi Xia used threats to force them to obey, leaving the group under his control as the bear approached.

• Qi Xia called Qiao Jiajin over after finding a plan, while Qiao Jiajin punched the black bear and dodged its attacks to buy time.
• Qi Xia told Qiao Jiajin to brace the iron plate and roll it in response to directions from Qi Xia, who would watch the bear from behind him.
• Qi Xia called on the others to stop fighting and gather behind the plate so he could protect everyone.
• Old Lü tried to take the plate, but Qi Xia grabbed him by the throat and ordered him to stand behind them.
• When Glasses edged closer, Qi Xia threatened his injured eye with the broken lens, and Glasses agreed to follow Qi Xia's orders.