Chapter Summaries

Zhao Xun led the players on a thorough search of the campus and used his abilities to kill the English Teacher by destroying the photograph that served as her weakness. With nine NPCs remaining and five hours left, the players continued searching, encouraged by their progress.

• Zhao Xun placed a baboon to guard the first building and persuaded the group to search every building thoroughly.
• The players found the English Teacher in a private office in the Teachers' Office Building, where she demanded that they complete a practice test.
• Zhao Xun restrained the English Teacher with a Metal Chain and searched her desk, finding a framed photograph that appeared to be her weakness.
• Zhao Xun stabbed the photograph, and Monkey-Faced Man burned it, killing the English Teacher.
• The Campus Broadcast announced that nine NPCs remained, and the players eagerly continued their search as Zhao Xun assessed the remaining time.

Zhao Xun found the Librarian hiding in the Library Building and trapped her after she tried to escape. He deduced that her nameplate was her weakness, and Monkey-Faced Man destroyed it, leaving eight NPCs alive.

• Zhao Xun led the players to the Library Building, where they found the Librarian asleep atop a bookshelf.
• The Librarian told Zhao Xun about her duties, and he sent the other players outside before setting fire to the books.
• The Librarian transformed into gray mist and tried to escape through a window, but Zhao Xun trapped her in a water ball.
• Zhao Xun deduced that the Librarian's nameplate was her weakness because she had fled without taking anything with her.
• Monkey-Faced Man used Zhao Xun's fire to melt the nameplate, killing the Librarian and leaving eight NPCs remaining.

Zhao Xun tracked down the Security Guard hiding in the library, retrieved and burned his Security Guard Certificate, and killed him. He then used his enhanced infrared sensing to locate five of the seven remaining NPCs and flew toward one hiding on the fourth floor of the Dormitory Building, while the players waited below.

• Zhao Xun learned from the golden snub-nosed monkey that an NPC was hiding beneath the library borrowing desk and had placed something inside a computer tower.
• Zhao Xun used [Body Flicker] to reach the borrowing desk, found the Security Guard Certificate in the tower, and took it outside.
• Monkey-Faced Man burned the certificate, causing the Security Guard to catch fire and burn to ashes; the broadcast announced that seven NPCs remained.
• Zhao Xun transformed into an enormous rattlesnake and used his enhanced pit organs to detect five NPCs, though two remained hidden from his infrared sensing.
• Zhao Xun transformed into a sparrow and flew toward an NPC in the second bedroom on the fourth floor of the Dormitory Building, while the other players waited downstairs.

Zhao Xun and the players killed three more NPCs, leaving four, while Zhao Xun warned the group not to underestimate the dangers of the next round. He found a muscular PE teacher hiding in the teachers' dormitory and moved to investigate the suspicious object in the man's shirt pocket.

• Zhao Xun captured a student NPC, removed his necklace, and burned it, causing the student to dissolve into water and die.
• Zhao Xun located and helped eliminate two more NPCs, leaving four remaining.
• The players discussed whether the NPCs might hide or use special attacks in the next round, and Zhao Xun urged them to stay alert.
• Zhao Xun entered a teachers' dormitory room and confronted a muscular NPC who controlled the iron bed.
• Zhao Xun dismantled the bed and noticed a bulge in the PE teacher's shirt pocket, but the man ran for the window as Zhao Xun formed an iron chain to catch him.

Zhao Xun killed the PE teacher and the cafeteria server by discovering and destroying their weaknesses, leaving two NPCs alive. After recovering from the server’s soporific vapor, he led the players into a systematic search, but they found no trace of the last two NPCs by early afternoon.

• Zhao Xun trapped the PE teacher, took his Plastic Whistle, and had Monkey-Faced Man burn it, killing the PE teacher.
• While the players ate, Zhao Xun realized the remaining NPCs could be hidden from infrared sensing and led the group to search the cafeteria kitchen.
• Zhao Xun found the cafeteria server in a lower cabinet, trapped her inside, and discovered that burning a long iron ladle set her head on fire.
• Monkey-Faced Man burned the ladle, killing the cafeteria server, while Zhao Xun recovered from the dizziness caused by her fragrant vapor.
• Zhao Xun led the players in a systematic search for the last two NPCs, but they found no trace of them by one in the afternoon.

After the First Chase Round ended, Zhao Xun and the other players prepared for the NPCs’ next attack, tested ways to hide their Number Tags, and waited together on the Sports Field. As darkness and an approaching storm made the field dangerous, they debated moving indoors, but Dog-Chewed Hair raised the possibility that an NPC could suffocate them in an enclosed space.

• The players voted to stay together on the Sports Field, where Glasses Man arranged them in a circle around Number 1 to watch for the NPCs.
• Zhao Xun recalled his primates and explained that the NPCs might wait until night to attack.
• Short-Ponytail Man proposed hiding or swapping the players’ Number Tags, but the tags automatically remained visible and changed with their outer clothing.
• Glasses Man suggested using the Sports Field’s Searchlights, but Zhao Xun said he had tested them and they would not turn on.
• As a moonless, stormy night fell, Glasses Man proposed moving indoors, and Hip-Hop Man suggested clearing a classroom of furniture.
• Dog-Chewed Hair warned that an NPC might be able to remove the air from an enclosed room and suffocate the players.

As the players debated whether to seek shelter, an unseen NPC attacked them in the darkness. Zhao Xun killed the underground cleaning lady with a Silver Medal, but the invisible NPC remained and approached Hip-Hop Man under cover of thunder.

• Zhao Xun argued that changing locations so late in the round risked an ambush, and the players chose to stay on the field.
• Zhao Xun heard a noise underground and used a reshaped Silver Medal to attack the cleaning lady, while the invisible NPC slit Monkey-Faced Man’s throat.
• Zhao Xun restored the Silver Medal to its original shape and killed the cleaning lady, prompting the Campus Broadcast to announce that one NPC remained.
• Zhao Xun used his enhanced hearing and smell to watch for the invisible NPC as the players tried to keep their abilities ready.
• During a prolonged thunderclap, Zhao Xun smelled the invisible NPC approaching Hip-Hop Man.

Zhao Xun and the other players killed the final NPC, cleared the Platform Game, and earned points for completing their monthly quota. After Whistle reported that Death God had repeatedly disappeared from the Endless Train, Zhao Xun considered what that meant for escape; at month’s end, Zhao Xun discovered that his ranking and berth information had become XX.

• Zhao Xun used two Silver Medals to kill the invisible chemistry teacher, completing the second-stage task and clearing the game with the other players.
• Zhao Xun changed into dry clothes outside the Endless Train, then returned to Car 5 and slept until noon the next day.
• Whistle told Zhao Xun that Death God had disappeared from the Endless Train several times, and Zhao Xun warned that Death God might still be bound to the train’s control.
• Whistle decided to investigate Car 1 for clues about how Death God left the train, while Zhao Xun warned him not to cooperate with White Cat if threatened again.
• At the month-end ranking update, Zhao Xun found that his ranking and the car, compartment, and berth numbers on his ticket all showed XX.

Zhao Xun exchanged the Unknown Sculpture and 6,000 points to become a Deputy Train Conductor, rose to third place, and moved into an expanded, luxurious compartment in Car 01. The next morning, he met Death God and Ice, another Deputy Train Conductor, and learned they had obtained matching sculptures in different Dream Games.

• Zhao Xun accepted the Deputy Train Conductor role by surrendering the Unknown Sculpture and 6,000 points, leaving him with 521 points and third place in the rankings.
• Zhao Xun found that his ticket now assigned him to Car 01, Compartment 03, and explored its spacious, comfortable accommodations.
• After someone knocked at his door the next morning, Zhao Xun met Death God and Ice, who asked whether he had become a Deputy Train Conductor.
• Ice confirmed she was also a Deputy Train Conductor and described the similar sculpture she had traded with 6,000 points for the role.
• Zhao Xun and Ice compared their Dream Games and realized that the same kind of sculpture appeared in different settings and could unlock the Deputy Train Conductor role.

Zhao Xun learned from Death God that he was the [Train Conductor] and that Zhao Xun’s new [Deputy Train Conductor] role would send him on missions in the real world instead of mandatory dream games. After Death God and Ice left, Zhao Xun discovered he ranked third and brought Whistle into his luxurious Car 01 compartment.

• Death God told Zhao Xun that only one [Train Conductor] could exist and explained that deputy conductors would join him on missions, usually announced within the first five days of the month.
• Zhao Xun asked whether the missions took place in the real world, and Death God confirmed they did before leaving with Ice.
• Zhao Xun learned that Death God had become the [Train Conductor] in early October and Ice had become a [Deputy Train Conductor] early the previous month.
• Zhao Xun ordered steamed dumplings through his compartment’s control panel, then went to find Whistle when he had nothing else to do.
• Whistle worried that Zhao Xun had come to Car 01 to gather information, but Zhao Xun revealed his ranking had earned him a place there.
• Whistle used his ability to confirm that Zhao Xun ranked third, then followed him into Compartment 3 and was astonished by its luxurious furnishings.

Zhao Xun told Whistle that he was a subordinate of the [Train Conductor] and explained how the role could let him leave the Endless Train temporarily, while keeping some details secret. Death God later assigned Zhao Xun, Ice, and himself separate missions in District Twenty, leaving Zhao Xun wondering who controlled the train and why it wanted these targets eliminated.

• Zhao Xun used Incense to tell Whistle he was a subordinate of the [Train Conductor], but he could not reveal details about his role as [Deputy Train Conductor].
• Zhao Xun explained that Death God was the [Train Conductor], that a new [Train Conductor] would have to fight him to the death, and that subordinates could accompany him on missions outside the train.
• Zhao Xun refused to let Whistle use him as a medium for gathering information, but suggested that Whistle investigate Ice, another subordinate of the [Train Conductor].
• On January 3, Death God told Zhao Xun and Ice that their missions would begin at midnight and asked whether they wanted to work together or separately; all three chose separate missions.
• The system assigned Death God to destroy District Twenty's military base, Ice to destroy its arsenal, and Zhao Xun to kill all of District Twenty's top leadership.
• Zhao Xun wondered whether the missions were part of a human war and asked Death God whether his previous missions had also targeted people and facilities in different districts.

Death God explained the rules for real-world missions, and Zhao Xun suspected that the Deputy Train Conductor role was subject to hidden checks and balances with the Train Conductor. After arriving in District Twenty, Zhao Xun hypnotized one of its leaders and began gathering information to hunt down the district’s top leadership.

• Death God told Zhao Xun that three districts had been left leaderless and explained the rules for missions, Survival Time, healing, and communication.
• Death God said failed missions had to be attempted until completion, death, or the loss of all Survival Time, then left Zhao Xun with Ice.
• Ice questioned Zhao Xun about his Deputy Train Conductor role, and Zhao Xun suspected that the role had a hidden relationship with the Train Conductor.
• On January 4, Zhao Xun arrived in District Twenty and infiltrated a leader’s bedroom in the residential area.
• Zhao Xun hypnotized the sleeping middle-aged leader and learned that the district’s top leadership comprised twenty leaders and 180 direct subordinates.
• Zhao Xun used the leader’s phone to identify the leadership and ordered him to summon his ten direct subordinates to a meeting that night.

Zhao Xun hypnotized District Twenty's leaders and their subordinates to kill themselves, then checked in with Ice and Death God about their missions. He left two leaders and their subordinates as his remaining targets and began weighing how the destruction of the military base and arsenal might weaken their protection.

• Zhao Xun hypnotized eleven leaders and one hundred direct subordinates, ordering them to kill themselves at six in the morning.
• After four more leaders and thirty-five subordinates returned, Zhao Xun hypnotized them, then visited a secret club and ordered three leaders and twenty-five subordinates to kill themselves immediately.
• Zhao Xun realized that two leaders and their twenty direct subordinates remained, and considered how the military base's destruction and the arsenal's destruction could leave them vulnerable.
• Zhao Xun contacted Ice and Death God through the [Communication System] and learned that both had finished their missions.
• Ice asked about Zhao Xun's progress and said she usually stayed in the real world for a week; Death God said his stay depended on his mood.
• A pop-up appeared in front of Zhao Xun as he closed the [Communication System].

Zhao Xun reverse-summoned Xiao Hong from her dangerous Dream Game, and she agreed to help him with his Real World mission in exchange for rewards. After she restored much of his mental power, Zhao Xun used her hair to acquire her Mental Recharge Station ability, greatly enhancing his options for restoring and absorbing mental power.

• Zhao Xun accepted the reverse summoning and brought Xiao Hong to the Real World, ending her Dream Game without penalties.
• Xiao Hong learned she could stay in the Real World for the remaining time in her game or return to the Endless Train when Zhao Xun completed his mission, and she accepted the offer to help him for extra points and survival time.
• Xiao Hong restored ninety-five percent of her mental power to Zhao Xun, who concluded that Real World missions could alter Special Item functions and warned himself not to rely too heavily on them.
• Zhao Xun asked Xiao Hong for a strand of her hair, then transformed into a sparrow and flew to the roof while she went to find breakfast.
• Zhao Xun used Devour to acquire Mental Recharge Station lv5, overwrote Body Flicker, and gained enhanced abilities to restore, absorb, transfer, and disrupt mental power.

Zhao Xun tracked down District Twenty’s two returning leadership groups and destroyed both their vessels and aircraft, killing the leaders and their escorts. After the system confirmed his mission was complete, he left the airfield needing several days to recover from summoning heavenly lightning.

• Zhao Xun hypnotized bodyguards at the original base and learned that one leadership group would arrive by sea and the other by air.
• Zhao Xun attacked the warship carrying the first group with fire, water, and lightning, then escaped a homing missile by diving into the sea as a sea turtle.
• Zhao Xun reached the Military Airfield and confirmed that the plane carrying the last leader and ten subordinates had arrived early.
• Zhao Xun summoned heavenly lightning and split the plane in two, killing the final leadership group before fleeing the airfield.
• The system awarded Zhao Xun 1,000 points for completing the mission to kill all of District Twenty’s top leadership.

After completing his task in District Twenty, Zhao Xun rested, returned to the Tenth District, and found his adoptive parents’ house ransacked. He discovered two brothers retrieving his adoptive mother’s wedding ring from beneath the floorboards.

• Zhao Xun used a gemstone to get cash, rested in a hotel, and considered his task complete after earning a thousand points.
• Zhao Xun read reports about the chaos in Districts Seven, Eight, and Eighteen and decided to visit them after returning to the Tenth District.
• Zhao Xun flew back to the Tenth District and found his adoptive parents’ house broken into and stripped of supplies.
• Zhao Xun overheard two brothers discuss plans to replace nearby neighborhoods with polluting factories and watched them search the house for something valuable.
• The older brother found a gold ring hidden beneath the floorboards, and Zhao Xun recognized it as his adoptive mother’s treasured wedding ring.

Zhao Xun recovered his adoptive mother's ring and worked his way through a gang to reach a Tenth District leader who could stop the demolition of her home. While waiting to hypnotize the leader, he learned that his Deputy Train Conductor authority let him kill Death God and take the position, and decided to seek Death God as a possible ally instead.

• Zhao Xun hypnotized two brothers, took his adoptive mother's gold ring, and instructed the older brother to arrange a meeting with his boss.
• Zhao Xun met the Tattooed Man and hypnotized him to reveal a connection higher up, eventually tracing the demolition project to a Tenth District leader.
• Zhao Xun entered the leader's villa and waited in his study, where he found a shortlist of prospective volunteers for February.
• A message revealed that the Deputy Train Conductor could kill a rebellious Train Conductor, take their position, and inherit their points.
• Zhao Xun concluded that Death God likely knew secrets threatening the mastermind and decided he would rather seek Death God as an ally than kill him for the position.
• The Tenth District leader returned to the villa, and Zhao Xun watched his car arrive.

Zhao Xun stopped the Hundred Flowers Garden demolition plan and learned that the Liao Family was behind a secret Experimental Base. While investigating Volunteer records, he discovered that Scarf had taken the Liao Family’s son’s place and that the family had broken its promise to care for her mother.

• Zhao Xun hypnotized the leader, made him cancel the Hundred Flowers Garden demolition, and ordered him to announce the change.
• Zhao Xun learned that the factories were meant to move for an Experimental Base backed by the Liao Family, so he decided to visit the Liao Family Leader.
• Zhao Xun searched the Volunteer records for August 3023 and found that Scarf had taken the Liao Family’s son’s place.
• The leader told Zhao Xun that Scarf’s mother had died while Scarf was aboard the Endless Train and revealed that the Liao Family had not provided the promised medical care.

Zhao Xun learned that the Liao Family controlled a secret Experimental Base and encountered Death God at their ancestral residence, where Death God planned to wipe out the family. While waiting for Death God, Zhao Xun discussed the [Deputy Train Conductor]'s authority with Ice and argued that becoming the [Train Conductor] would not extend her life, then asked whether a [Deputy Train Conductor] could return to the Real World.

• Zhao Xun learned that Old Liao's son was preparing a secret Experimental Base and headed to the Liao Family's ancestral residence.
• Zhao Xun met Death God outside the residence and learned that Death God intended to wipe out the Liao Family.
• Death God resisted Zhao Xun's Hypnosis and agreed to ask Old Liao what experiments the Liao Family planned at the Experimental Base.
• Zhao Xun waited outside while Death God entered the residence, then messaged Ice about the [Deputy Train Conductor]'s special authority.
• Ice told Zhao Xun she was unsure whether to pursue the [Train Conductor] position because she feared she would not live to a hundred.
• Zhao Xun advised Ice that becoming the [Train Conductor] probably would not prolong her life and asked whether a [Deputy Train Conductor] could return to the Real World.

Zhao Xun helped Death God destroy the Liao Family and learned that Old Liao had worshipped a mysterious Lord connected to the Endless Train. After the Lord killed Old Liao to silence him, Zhao Xun proposed that he and Death God find and kill the Lord, who might be behind the train.

• Zhao Xun arranged for Ice to return to the Real World on January 11 so Ice would not interrupt Death God's attack on the Liao Family.
• Death God set the Liao Family's ancestral residence ablaze, and Zhao Xun shot down Old Liao's escaping aircraft and captured him.
• Zhao Xun hypnotized Old Liao, who revealed that the Experimental Base was used to worship a Lord and that the shrine was the Lord's chosen location.
• Old Liao struggled to reveal the Lord's true body was in the Liao shrine, but the Lord's power caused his head to explode.
• Death God recalled how Old Liao had arranged his betrayal aboard the Endless Train and destroyed his family, explaining why he had sought revenge against the Liao Family.
• Zhao Xun proposed that he and Death God kill the Lord, whom he suspected was behind the Endless Train and might be the key to their freedom.