Chapter Summaries

Zhao Xun entered the Duke's Manor with Lisa, incapacitated and bound her, then searched the grounds for clues. He caught Shen Yalong sneaking around the garden and learned that Shen had skipped the Endless Train's personal mission without being punished.

• Zhao Xun entered the Duke's Manor through a side door with Lisa and passed the hungry Shen Yalong waiting outside.
• Zhao Xun knocked Lisa unconscious, gagged and tied her up, then went to explore the manor's sculptures.
• Zhao Xun found Shen Yalong hiding behind a tree and eating fruit, and questioned why he was in the garden.
• Shen Yalong tried to flee, but Zhao Xun caught him, and Shen pleaded that he would not interfere with Zhao's mission.
• Zhao Xun asked whether Shen had completed the Endless Train's personal mission, and Shen admitted he had skipped it without being punished.

Zhao Xun and Shen Yalong hid from a burly player dressed as a guard while he searched the garden and bamboo grove. After the guard was called away, Zhao Xun continued along the manor wall and thought he saw a statue blink.

• Shen Yalong refused to reveal his main quest, and Zhao Xun let him go.
• Shen Yalong hid from the burly guard player, then ran into Zhao Xun in a bamboo grove.
• Zhao Xun and Shen Yalong moved deeper into the grove to avoid the guard searching for them.
• Another guard summoned the burly man to break up a fight, and Zhao Xun guessed that the man's quest involved performing guard duties.
• Zhao Xun followed the manor wall and thought he saw a statue blink in the moonlight.

Zhao Xun discovered a living statue and triggered a hidden quest to investigate the history between the Witch and the statue. The statue admitted she had saved Ruby but refused to trust Zhao Xun about Ruby’s safety.

• Zhao Xun found a pristine statue hidden behind bamboo and triggered a three-stage hidden quest about the Witch and the statue.
• Zhao Xun sent Shen Yalong away so he could speak to the statue without another player seeing her.
• Zhao Xun tricked the statue into revealing that she was alive by reaching for her chest.
• Zhao Xun reasoned that the statue had saved Ruby from the execution ground and had been close to her.
• The statue admitted she had saved Ruby, and Zhao Xun asked where Ruby was now.
• Zhao Xun promised he would not hurt Ruby or hand her over to the Public Security Office, but the statue said she did not believe him.

Zhao Xun persuaded the statue to tell him how Ruby had given her life and learned that the statue had hidden Ruby after she was accused of witchcraft. A hidden quest tasked him with uncovering why Ruby was framed, and the chapter ended as he questioned the statue about Ruby’s warning that a girl might suffer the same fate.

• Zhao Xun convinced the statue to discuss her past with Ruby while promising not to reveal Ruby’s hiding place.
• The statue explained that Ruby had cared for her as a child, awakening her consciousness and eventually giving her the ability to move.
• The statue said she rescued and hid Ruby after hearing she had been arrested as a witch, insisting Ruby could not have killed the townspeople.
• Zhao Xun received the second stage of a hidden quest, which required him to discover why Ruby had been labeled a witch and clear her name.
• The statue revealed that Ruby had recently mentioned a murdered couple and feared their daughter would suffer the same fate as her, prompting Zhao Xun to ask what she meant.

Zhao Xun persuaded the statue that Ruby had been falsely accused and promised to seek evidence clearing her name, while asking the statue to learn more from Ruby. At the Duke’s Manor banquet, he saw the duke behaving possessively toward a frightened young female player and focused instead on eating.

• The statue told Zhao Xun that Ruby had been blamed for a murdered couple’s deaths after being discovered before she could expose a dark secret.
• Zhao Xun said Ruby was probably innocent and promised to find evidence, and the statue agreed to ask Ruby for more details.
• Zhao Xun left the statue, planning to gain her trust and complete the hidden quest while keeping both her and Ruby alive.
• Zhao Xun avoided the guards and went to the banquet hall, where the duke arrived with a young female player.
• The duke pulled the frightened girl into his arms and touched her while Zhao Xun turned away and ate several little cakes.

At the Duke’s banquet, Zhao Xun questioned a guard about the young female player the Duke called his new favorite and learned more about the Duke’s predatory habits. He left with food and headed into the Bamboo Grove, suspecting the Duke had abused Ruby and might have been responsible for Xiao Ai’s parents’ deaths.

• Zhao Xun gave his leftover wine to a guard and questioned him about the young female player sitting on the Duke’s lap.
• The guard said the girl had appeared the previous night, that the Duke liked her, and that he often favored young women without marrying them.
• Zhao Xun noticed the girl seemed frightened and unwilling, then joked along when the guard suggested he could pursue her after the Duke lost interest.
• As the banquet ended, Zhao Xun packed bread, milk, and desserts into a paper bag and left the hall, prompting some guests to follow his example.
• Zhao Xun slipped into the Bamboo Grove and wondered whether the Duke had abused Ruby and killed Xiao Ai’s parents to claim Xiao Ai.

Zhao Xun learned from Sculpture Girl that Ruby’s evidence was probably hidden in a safe in the Duke’s study, and he decided to search for it that night. As he entered the manor, he saw Short-Haired Woman slip inside ahead of him.

• Sculpture Girl told Zhao Xun that the Duke had taken Ruby’s evidence and likely stored it in his study safe.
• Sculpture Girl described the safe’s location behind a painting and shared its combination, 5188, while warning that it might have changed.
• Zhao Xun left his food with Sculpture Girl and said he would investigate the Duke’s study that night.
• Zhao Xun entered the manor while its guards were occupied and headed toward the third floor.
• Short-Haired Woman climbed in through a window, and Zhao Xun followed her upstairs while keeping out of sight.

Zhao Xun entered the study and discovered that the seemingly helpless girl was a veteran player searching for the Duke’s secrets. After revealing their quests, they agreed to work together, leaving Zhao Xun with a potential ally who might know the safe’s updated code.

• Zhao Xun heard the Duke calling for help and used the guards’ distraction to enter the study.
• Zhao Xun found the girl searching through books and realized she had been pretending to be a newcomer.
• The girl admitted she had acted helpless around the Duke to uncover his secrets and said an item showed Zhao Xun was not hostile toward her.
• The girl said her quest was to discover the Duke’s secrets and expose them, while Zhao Xun claimed his quest was to help the Witch prove her innocence.
• Zhao Xun agreed to work with the girl, hoping she could help him open the Duke’s safe.

Zhao Xun and Tiantian found the Duke’s safe in the study, opened it with a clue Tiantian had noticed, and took the documents inside. They escaped down a rope Tiantian had prepared and hid beside a fountain.

• Zhao Xun identified the landscape painting with the golden-haired woman and found a safe behind it.
• Tiantian recalled a possible combination, turned the dial to 1818, and opened the safe.
• Zhao Xun took the documents while Tiantian explained that the Short-Haired Woman was helping her distract the Duke’s guard.
• Zhao Xun ignored the safe’s gold and jewelry, bundled the documents in a curtain, and climbed down Tiantian’s rope.
• Tiantian followed Zhao Xun down the rope, and they hid beside the fountain.

Zhao Xun split the stolen documents with Tiantian, then brought evidence clearing Ruby to Sculpture and warned her to keep Ruby hidden until he returned. After learning Shen Yalong had visited but discovered nothing unusual, Zhao Xun continued with his plans to expose the Duke’s crimes.

• Tiantian and Zhao Xun divided the documents, and Tiantian escaped over the wall while Zhao Xun headed toward the Bamboo Grove.
• Zhao Xun heard a gunshot near the Duke’s bedroom and suspected the Short-Haired Woman had fired at the burly veteran player.
• Zhao Xun showed Sculpture evidence clearing Ruby and told her to keep Ruby safe and out of public until he confirmed it was safe.
• Sculpture told Zhao Xun that Shen Yalong had visited, watched her, and left without noticing anything unusual.
• Zhao Xun praised Sculpture, warned her again not to trust anyone else, and told her to find him at Xiao Ai’s house if an emergency arose.

Zhao Xun returned to Xiao Ai with food and documents that revealed the Duke had orchestrated her parents’ deaths to make her vulnerable to him. After copying the evidence, Zhao Xun left before dawn, while Xiao Ai was left afraid of being alone.

• Zhao Xun retrieved the food he had hidden in the bamboo at the Duke's Manor and returned to Xiao Ai's home.
• Xiao Ai told Zhao Xun that the Flower Fields had dismissed her, and he reassured her before sharing the food he had taken from the Duke's Manor.
• Zhao Xun read documents showing that the Duke had arranged for girls' families to die so he could exploit them, including Xiao Ai's parents.
• Zhao Xun copied the important evidence by hand so the originals could be destroyed without preventing him from clearing Ruby's name.
• Before dawn, Zhao Xun left with the documents and told Xiao Ai not to wait for him, leaving her feeling lonely and afraid.

Zhao Xun and Tiantian exposed the Duke’s crimes to Nairui Town’s residents, clearing Ruby’s name and completing the second stage of Zhao Xun’s hidden task. He went to the Duke’s Manor to inform Sculpture Girl, where he encountered the injured Short-Haired Woman and realized the Duke and his burly guard were dead.

• Zhao Xun met Tiantian in Fountain Square as she posted copies of the evidence, and learned she had a special item that could copy documents.
• The residents read the evidence detailing the Duke’s trafficking and murders, and many came to believe Ruby had been falsely accused.
• Zhao Xun received the hidden task’s third stage: help Ruby and Sculpture Girl escape and gain their freedom.
• Zhao Xun headed to the Duke’s Manor to tell Sculpture Girl it was safe outside and to continue earning her gratitude.
• Zhao Xun saw the injured Short-Haired Woman leave the manor and concluded she had killed the Duke and his burly guard.
• Short-Haired Woman tensed and prepared to fight when she saw Zhao Xun.

Zhao Xun learned that a sleazy middle-aged man had taken Ruby into an ancient underground chamber beneath the Duke’s Manor and hurried after her with Sculpture. Sculpture explained that she could locate Ruby through their telepathy, but the chapter left Zhao still investigating how the man had restrained her and reached the chamber.

• The Short-Haired Woman told Zhao Xun she had killed the Duke, survived the fight, and hidden until she could leave the manor.
• Zhao Xun entered the deserted Duke’s Manor and met Sculpture, who said a sleazy middle-aged man had taken Ruby.
• Sculpture led Zhao Xun toward Ruby and explained that Ruby had been hiding beneath her, where opening Sculpture revealed the underground chamber’s entrance.
• Sculpture told Zhao Xun the chamber was ancient and connected to passages beneath Nairui Town, though its passages had no exits.
• Sculpture said the man had known Ruby was inside, opened her without hesitation, and tied her up with a rope before taking Ruby.

Zhao Xun deduced the limits of the creep’s special items and followed him to the outskirts of Nairui Town, where he found Ruby tied up beside a Burning Stake. He used a plan to distract the creep, and the chapter ended as Zhao Xun’s scythe came within two centimeters of the creep’s throat.

• Zhao Xun questioned the statue and concluded that the creep’s guidance item was likely on cooldown and his binding rope weakened with distance from its owner.
• Zhao Xun and the statue followed the creep to the outskirts of Nairui Town and saw him prepare to burn Ruby.
• Zhao Xun told the statue to follow his plan, and she charged at the creep, smashing the Burning Stake before he could finish it.
• The creep bound the statue with his rope, but she rolled toward him and drew him into pursuing her with an axe.
• Zhao Xun thrust his scythe toward the creep’s throat from behind, leaving him with almost no time to dodge.

Zhao Xun killed the sleazy man by exploiting the limits of his worm transformation, then took the man's special rope. He concluded that another item had been lost in the man's system Storage Slot and kept his Grim Reaper's scythe ability.

• Zhao Xun used his scythe and close-range attacks to discover that the sleazy man's mucus protected him from blades, while repeated transformations were limited.
• Zhao Xun slowly drove his ring's spike into the worm's head and killed the sleazy man, telling himself the killing did not count as without cause because it completed his mission.
• Sculpture freed Ruby after the sleazy man's death, while Zhao Xun picked up the Lively Long Rope and learned that special items could be stolen.
• Zhao Xun searched the sleazy man's body but found no other special items, and deduced that an item in the man's system Storage Slot had not dropped.
• Zhao Xun kept the Grim Reaper's scythe ability and put the Lively Long Rope in his jacket pocket.

After Zhao Xun helped Sculpture rescue Ruby, Ruby learned the Duke was dead and decided to leave Nairui Town with Sculpture. As Sculpture tried to express her gratitude, a red light burst from her chest and struck Zhao Xun.

• Zhao Xun left the defeated sleazy man and reapplied poison to the needle on his ring.
• Sculpture thanked Zhao Xun for helping her save Ruby, and Zhao Xun asked whether Ruby wanted to leave town.
• Ruby learned that the Duke was dead and decided to start a new life elsewhere with Sculpture.
• Sculpture explained that she could not move freely until the next day, so Zhao Xun suggested hiding her nearby and helping Ruby collect her luggage.
• Ruby apologized to Zhao Xun and asked him to retrieve her trunk from the Underground Chamber and cover its entrance.
• Sculpture said she wanted to give Zhao Xun her heart, and a red light burst from her chest and shone on him.

After completing the main quest and earning 50 points, Zhao Xun returned to the Duke’s Manor and found Shen Yalong in the basement. He restrained Shen Yalong and began reading a letter that revealed the witch’s tragic past and the origins of the basement’s magic circles.

• Zhao Xun received the Sculpture's Heart and 50 points for completing the main quest by a more difficult method.
• Zhao Xun hid the sculpture with Ruby, asked Ruby to wash his jacket, and left to return to the Duke’s Manor.
• Zhao Xun found fresh footprints leading into the basement and entered with the Lively Long Rope ready.
• Zhao Xun used the rope to bind Shen Yalong, who was reading a letter in a basement room.
• Zhao Xun read the letter describing how a witch’s lover was burned at the stake and how she built a basement beneath Nairui Town using forbidden magic to seek revenge.

Zhao Xun learned from the Witch’s letter that Shen Yalong was meant to gather the last materials and destroy Nairui Town, but the explosion would endanger Zhao Xun and his quest. He killed Shen Yalong, concealed the body, and set the Underground Chamber on fire to prevent the magic circles from being activated.

• Zhao Xun read the Witch’s letter, which explained that the materials would trigger explosions across Nairui Town and that the destined person would receive the Witch’s remaining power and the Magic Ruby after fulfilling her wish.
• Shen Yalong claimed he had entered the Underground Chamber to steal valuables, but Zhao Xun exposed holes in his story and identified him as the person the Witch had awaited.
• Zhao Xun decided he could not let Shen Yalong destroy the town before Zhao Xun completed his own quest, and he took pleasure in watching Shen Yalong realize his lies had failed.
• Shen Yalong tried to flee, but Zhao Xun summoned the Reaper’s Scythe and killed him with a single slash.
• Zhao Xun buried Shen Yalong’s body beneath dead branches and leaves, set them alight to destroy the magic circles, and left the Duke’s Manor as the fire spread.

Zhao Xun concluded that Ruby’s wish-granting ruby had already been used to bring the sculpture Lulu to life, so he stayed with them while waiting for Lulu’s movement time to reset. Tiantian joined him, revealed that veteran players followed different Train Rules, and Zhao Xun ended by asking whether she had seen two people in a photo.

• Zhao Xun reasoned that Ruby’s ruby had already granted a wish by giving Lulu life, leaving him no reward for completing Shen Yalong’s task.
• Zhao Xun delivered the woven bamboo suitcase to Ruby, shared food with her, and decided to stay until Lulu could move again.
• Tiantian arrived and said she had finished her main task but wanted to stay with Zhao Xun because she found him interesting.
• Zhao Xun asked whether veteran players followed the same Platform Game participation rules as new players, and Tiantian said their Train Rules differed.
• Zhao Xun took out his phone and asked Tiantian whether she had seen two people.

Zhao Xun learned that Tiantian would ask around for information about the couple in his photo in exchange for a favor, then completed the Nairui Town game and received points and the special item Scorching Blood. After returning to the train with Tiantian and the Short-Haired Woman, he waited before boarding.

• Zhao Xun asked Tiantian about the couple in his photo, and she offered to find a useful lead in exchange for a favor.
• Tiantian arranged to introduce Zhao Xun to someone in the dining car on the sixth, and Zhao Xun agreed to meet her there.
• Sculpture regained her mobility, thanked Zhao Xun, and left Nairui Town with Ruby; Zhao Xun then received 60 points, Scorching Blood, and a 22-point bonus for unlocking all the town's storylines.
• Zhao Xun read Scorching Blood's description and learned that it could make someone with no ill will toward him his closest friend or melt a hostile person into blood.
• Zhao Xun, Tiantian, and the Short-Haired Woman returned to the train, where Tiantian and Zhao Xun chose to wait before boarding.