Chapter Summaries

Zhou Ze finished telling Alice a fairy tale and promised to visit her again before leaving her containment chamber. On the way out, he encountered Dr. Dai Yong'an trapped in another chamber and watched the guard release him.

• Zhou Ze finished his story, and Alice thanked him before freeing her canary, Colin.
• A voice over Zhou Ze's earpiece ended the experiment, and Zhou Ze promised Alice that he would return with new stories.
• A guard escorted Zhou Ze through the Ω Containment Area as researchers watched him strangely.
• Dai Yong'an called to Zhou Ze and the guard from inside a containment chamber, explaining that a faulty card reader had trapped him.
• The guard hesitated over protocol but used his card to unlock the chamber, and Dai Yong'an hurried away after noticing Zhou Ze.

While escorting Zhou Ze through Site-17’s containment area, a guard encountered anomalous walls that trapped them inside. Their support team reported a breach and then spotted multiple copies of Zhu Qian before its transmission cut off.

• After noticing that a dead leaf vanished beneath his foot, Zhou Ze realized something was wrong when a dark red wall appeared at a junction.
• The guard reported the wall to command, which dispatched the Wild Dog containment team, then forced Zhou Ze to scout ahead along another route.
• Zhou Ze and the guard soon found another anomalous wall blocking their path and cutting through a containment chamber door.
• The Wild Dog team leader reported that their own team was blocked and asked why Zhu Qian was in the containment area.
• The Wild Dog team leader reported sightings of three Number-529s before the transmission ended in static.

After a containment chamber opened unexpectedly, Zhou Ze and the bearded guard faced a breach in the facility. They fled as a massive reptilian behemoth smashed through the wall and pursued them down the corridor.

• The bearded guard lowered his rifle and admitted his mistake had likely doomed his career, while Zhou Ze asked what was behind the wall.
• Three half-cats called Zhu Qian appeared and positioned themselves between Zhou Ze and the guard before suddenly darting away.
• Heavy footsteps shook the corridor, and Zhou Ze and the bearded guard ran from the anomalous wall.
• A huge, dissolving reptilian behemoth burst through the alloy wall and charged after them, damaging the containment zone as it pursued.

Zhou Ze and the bearded guard fled a gigantic mutant lizard monster through the containment facility until a sudden wall trapped them in a dead end. The guard broke down and ran past the beast unharmed, leaving Zhou Ze alone as the monster watched his every move.

• Zhou Ze and the bearded guard ran from the mutant lizard monster as alarms blared and the creature demolished the corridor behind them.
• A wall appeared ahead, forcing Zhou Ze and the bearded guard to stop and face the beast.
• The monster spoke to the bearded guard, triggering his traumatic memories and causing him to drop his rifle and lose control of himself.
• The bearded guard ran past the monster, which ignored him and kept its eyes fixed on Zhou Ze.
• Zhou Ze tested whether he could move, but the beast warned him with a foul breath, leaving him to wonder why its behavior seemed off.

Zhou Ze encountered the seemingly motionless Designation-682 and learned from Old Yang that it was an almost indestructible, world-threatening creature. He escaped through the collapsing containment area and entered an elevator, then worried that taking it might be a mistake.

• Zhou Ze realized the beast’s oppressive presence seemed weaker than its terrifying appearance suggested and remembered that Dr. Dai Yong'an had the same voice as the one guiding him through earlier experiments.
• Old Yang appeared and identified the monster as Designation-682, the Immortal Lizard, which adapted to survive extreme conditions and had repeatedly breached containment.
• Old Yang pointed out that Zhou Ze could escape, then disappeared to find food.
• Zhou Ze backed away and ran as Designation-682 retreated through the narrow corridor, shaking it apart.
• Zhou Ze followed the route he had memorized and reached an elevator, but began to fear that taking it was a mistake.

Zhou Ze reached the office area and found Wang Lei waiting in her office, where he recounted the terrifying incident he had survived. When he began to describe what emerged from the broken wall, Wang Lei’s demeanor changed and she confronted him with an icy, mind-piercing voice.

• Zhou Ze cautiously left the elevator and entered the quiet office area, deciding it was safer than searching the Site for an exit.
• Zhou Ze found Wang Lei in her office, where she explained that she had stayed behind rather than evacuate.
• Wang Lei offered Zhou Ze black tea and invited him to describe the incident that had triggered the alarm.
• Zhou Ze recounted his experiences while Wang Lei listened and asked questions.
• Wang Lei’s smile vanished, blue light flashed in her eyes, and she told Zhou Ze that he knew it.

Zhou Ze discovered that Wang Lei could manipulate appearances and exert strange influence, then learned she was the Site-17 director. Wang Lei said she wanted to ease the facility’s aggressive policies, leaving Zhou Ze uncertain whether he could trust her.

• Wang Lei startled Zhou Ze by recognizing what he was thinking and briefly overwhelming him.
• Old Yang reassured Zhou Ze that Wang Lei could not read the mind of someone who distrusted her, and warned him not to provoke her.
• Wang Lei revealed herself as the Site-17 director and used a solidified smoke ring to guide Zhou Ze into shaking her hand.
• Wang Lei explained that people with unusual abilities could work in offices or be confined, depending on their abilities and attitude.
• Wang Lei admitted she had lied about her younger years but claimed she wanted to cool down the facility’s aggressive approach.

Wang Lei offered Zhou Ze a choice between facing interrogation and erasing his memories after the Illusion Butterflies incident; Zhou Ze pretended to consider the offer. Two days later, Wang Lei confronted Dai Yong'an over his handling of Item-408, and he accused her of covering something up.

• Wang Lei explained that Zhou Ze's existence mattered and offered to erase his memories with a spray bottle so she could manage the fallout.
• Zhou Ze asked how to use the spray bottle and acted as though he was weighing Wang Lei's offer.
• Two days later, Wang Lei challenged Dai Yong'an's report describing Item-408's escape as a harmless accident caused by hungry butterflies.
• Wang Lei accused Dai Yong'an of favoritism toward the intelligent Illusion Butterflies and of violating clearance rules by showing them materials related to Item-682.
• Dai Yong'an stopped joking and accused Wang Lei of covering something up.

Dai Yong'an confronted Wang Lei about the butterflies’ transformation and suspected she knew something about D-87465, but she refused to help his research. Zhou Ze woke in a comfortable Site dorm room under surveillance, where Old Yang told him their conversation was hidden from everyone except the Higher-Dimensional Observer.

• Dai Yong'an reasoned that the butterflies had transformed because they sensed an overwhelming threat and suspected Wang Lei had learned something after wiping a Class-D Personnel member’s memory.
• Wang Lei briefly strangled Dai Yong'an with smoke, then released him and refused to share her findings or support his research.
• Dai Yong'an left after insisting he would uncover D-87465’s secrets himself, and Wang Lei muttered that she had miscalculated.
• Zhou Ze woke in a spacious Site dorm room, noticed its surveillance camera, and cautiously checked his surroundings while Old Yang sat beside his bed.
• Old Yang told Zhou Ze that only the Higher-Dimensional Observer could theoretically notice their conversation, and Zhou Ze was shocked by his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

After waking from a brief sleep, Zhou Ze learned that Alice had affected him and found that the Containment Facility had granted him limited privileges under special observation. He reviewed the mysteries surrounding his body and the people at the facility before Old Yang warned that Higher-Dimensional Observers expected him to grow stronger.

• Zhou Ze shaved off the thick stubble that had grown while he slept, and Old Yang said Alice had affected him but offered no clear explanation.
• Zhou Ze read the notice making him Class-D Personnel under special observation, with cafeteria and recreation access provided he was escorted by security.
• Zhou Ze considered the unknown history of his body, his possible connection to Lu Fei, and the roles Dai Yong'an and Wang Lei might play.
• Old Yang told Zhou Ze that Higher-Dimensional Observers sought extreme emotions and would be disappointed that he had not grown stronger.
• Zhou Ze heard only the end of Old Yang's warning and asked what strange nonsense he was talking about.

Zhou Ze returned to Alice’s containment chamber and was tasked with teaching her about good and evil. When Alice showed him a drawing of Santa Claus modeled on his face, Zhou Ze suspected her wishes could alter reality and began considering whether he could use that ability to escape.

• Old Yang delivered an enigmatic speech and vanished before Zhou Ze was called to work.
• Dai Yong'an instructed Zhou Ze to guide Alice toward distinguishing good from evil, preferably through stories without supernatural powers.
• Zhou Ze met Alice again in her cottage, where she greeted him warmly and invited him to sit on a strangely animated sofa.
• Alice showed Zhou Ze a lifelike drawing of Santa Claus whose face resembled his own, and Dai Yong'an urgently asked Zhou Ze to describe it.
• Zhou Ze concealed the drawing’s resemblance to himself and suspected Alice’s wishes could come true, but decided he needed to proceed cautiously.

Zhou Ze learned that Professor Gear visited Alice weekly and that Dai Yong'an presented himself to her as the Light Knight, then tried to influence her view of him by inventing a heroic past. The chapter ended as Zhou Ze began the story he had promised Alice.

• Alice worried that her canary, Colin, had become listless and told Zhou Ze that Professor Gear visited her once a week.
• Zhou Ze suggested that Alice keep a diary, then realized her writing might have anomalous effects.
• Alice described Archwizard Clive as stern and said his gaze softened around Professor Gear and Dai Yong'an, the Light Knight.
• Zhou Ze told Alice that he had once been a Night Watch Knight and spoke of his dreams of magic, earning her admiration.
• Zhou Ze began telling Alice the story he had promised her.

Zhou Ze told Alice a heroic story, and she shared her wish to see the world beyond the facility before praying for his safety. After the story caused a sharp rise in the containment chamber’s Hume Index, Zhou Ze met Dai Yong’an, who handed him a suspicious mud ball and ordered him to eat it.

• Zhou Ze told Alice a story about a hero defeating a black dragon, and she spoke of the places she hoped to visit outside the facility.
• Alice prayed that Zhou Ze would stay safe and find hope through the dangers ahead.
• Dai Yong’an and Kane lost the containment chamber’s surveillance feeds as the Hume Index surged, but Dai Yong’an dismissed the fluctuations as normal.
• After leaving the chamber, Zhou Ze encountered Dai Yong’an in the facility corridor, where Dai handed him a mud ball and called it a digestive tablet.
• Dai Yong’an told Zhou Ze to eat the ball, and Zhou Ze recognized that the man expected him to comply.

Zhou Ze ate in the Site 7 cafeteria with Shi Yaming, who told him about Instructor Lu Fei’s confinement and reflected on the dangers of working at the Containment Facility. A striking blonde woman approached Zhou Ze, flirted with him, and ended by asking whether he usually masturbated.

• Shi Yaming told Zhou Ze that Instructor Lu Fei had been placed in solitary confinement after clashing with upper management.
• Shi Yaming described joining the Containment Facility and said he imagined dying in battle alongside his comrades.
• A blonde woman approached Zhou Ze and asked to pet him, then stroked his face and neck instead.
• The woman asked Shi Yaming to move so she could sit across from Zhou Ze, and he reluctantly agreed.
• The woman asked Zhou Ze whether he usually jerked off.

Zhou Ze was caught off guard when a blonde woman asked him an intimate question, then Jack Bright visited Dai Yong'an at Site-17 and revealed he had tested Zhou Ze. Dai shot Jack before Dr. Gears arrived to discuss the Ethics Committee's concerns about an experiment involving D-87465.

• A blonde woman asked Zhou Ze whether he usually masturbated, then left after saying she had wanted to see his reaction.
• Jack Bright entered Dai Yong'an's office in a woman's body and explained that he had found his own way into Site-17.
• Jack told Dai that Zhou Ze's Hume levels remained stable during emotional fluctuations, indicating that Zhou was not a reality bender.
• Dai shot Jack in the forehead and began wiping down his gun.
• Dr. Gears arrived and raised the Ethics Committee's concerns about Dai's application for D-87465 to participate in an Extreme Hazard Class experiment.

Dai Yong'an argued with Dr. Gears that Zhou Ze’s repeated survival suggested an anomalous ability and said he would pursue an Anomalous Interaction Experiment. Back in his dormitory, Zhou Ze learned that Dai Yong'an had made him swallow a nanobot bomb, and his hatred surged as Old Yang reacted strangely to it.

• Dr. Gears challenged Dai Yong'an over involving D-87465 in high-risk experiments without proper approval.
• Dai Yong'an claimed Zhou Ze’s improbable survival indicated possible probability manipulation or causal interference and proposed treating him as a potential threat entity.
• Dr. Gears accepted Dai Yong'an’s explanation and told him to submit a new experimental application report.
• Zhou Ze returned to his dormitory, examined himself, and learned from Old Yang that Dai Yong'an had made him swallow a gen+3-generation nanobot bomb.
• Zhou Ze felt intense hatred toward Dai Yong'an while Old Yang sniffed the air and traced strange gestures with his fingers.

Zhou Ze learned that nanorobots inside his body would kill him if Dai Yong'an's heart stopped, then was sent with another Class-D subject to an experiment outside Site-17. As the armored vehicle carried him toward an unknown destination, he met the optimistic Liu Xin.

• Old Yang explained that nanorobots in Zhou Ze's blood were synchronized with Dai Yong'an's heart and would destroy Zhou Ze if it stopped for more than three minutes.
• Old Yang warned Zhou Ze that the seal inside him had loosened and then vanished.
• Shi Yaming told Zhou Ze to report for an experiment and escorted him to an armored transport in the garage.
• Zhou Ze rode away from Site-17 with another Class-D subject, Liu Xin.
• Liu Xin told Zhou Ze that he had been imprisoned after a woman accused him of rape and said he hoped to survive the experiments and leave early.

Zhou Ze was transferred to an old, sinister Containment Facility while Liu Xin volunteered to join the same project. At the ominous chamber door, Zhou Ze realized Liu Xin had followed him and shivered at the thought that his good luck brought misfortune to those around him.

• Zhou Ze questioned Liu Xin about the experiments and began wondering why his good luck supposedly caused others to suffer bad luck.
• Guards brought Zhou Ze and other Class-D personnel to an aging facility and assigned them to enter in number order.
• After Zhou Ze was sent inside, Liu Xin volunteered for the same project rather than remain behind.
• Zhou Ze entered the facility’s decaying Containment Zone with another trembling Class-D personnel and reached a huge, rusted door.
• Liu Xin appeared beside the door, and Zhou Ze shivered as he recalled the price of his luck.

Zhou Ze and Liu Xin entered the containment chamber to collect secretions from Number-075, a giant snail that burst from a safe and killed the other Class-D man. As the snail fixed on Zhou Ze, the whispers in his mind overwhelmed him and Liu Xin shouted a warning.

• Dai Yong'an announced an experiment requiring Zhou Ze, Liu Xin, and another Class-D man to collect Number-075's secretions.
• A mist filled the chamber, triggering a humidity warning and Emergency Protocol A-23.
• Zhou Ze shoved Liu Xin aside and dodged as Number-075 burst out of the safe and struck the other Class-D man, killing him.
• Liu Xin recognized the creature as the source of the secretions while Zhou Ze became dazed by chaotic whispers.
• Number-075 finished digesting the dead man's head, turned its pseudopods toward Zhou Ze, and prompted Liu Xin to shout, "Watch out!"

Liu Xin died after saving Zhou Ze from the giant snail, and Old Yang explained that the price of Alice’s gift had not been paid. Zhou Ze transformed under the influence of the sealed divinity and subdued the snail as Site 108’s containment chamber began to fail.

• Liu Xin shoved Zhou Ze out of the giant snail’s attack but was fatally dissolved by its corrosive mucus.
• Liu Xin asked Zhou Ze to tell his parents that he loved them and was sorry, then died.
• Old Yang told Zhou Ze that he was too weak to keep holding back the sealed divinity and warned that Zhou Ze himself would become the price.
• The giant snail struck Zhou Ze, triggering a transformation that covered him in screaming faces and dark red tentacles.
• Zhou Ze’s tentacles bound and stabbed the giant snail while its acidic mucus damaged the containment chamber.
• An alarm warned that Biological Containment Zone 23 had suffered severe structural damage and that Site 108 would enter lockdown in five minutes.