Chapter Summaries

Zhao Xun killed a hunter who discovered him disguised as a red stool, then survived the rest of the round while two more hunters searched the Shopping Center. The ninth round began with the Ecological Education Hall closed, blocking his planned route into the Underground Chamber.

• The orangutan leader gave Zhao Xun a toy dart, and Zhao Xun searched the Shopping Center before disguising himself as a red stool stacked on a blue stool player.
• A hunter found the stools after the blue stool player dry-heaved and exposed himself, then killed the blue stool player after he turned into mud.
• The hunter identified Zhao Xun and slammed him to the floor, but Zhao Xun stabbed him with a weapon and killed him with a lightning bolt.
• Two hunters searched the Shopping Center for the player who had killed their companion, but the seventh round ended before they could identify Zhao Xun.
• The ninth round began, and Zhao Xun discovered that the Ecological Education Hall had closed.

Zhao Xun found the Underground Laboratory and learned that its automated systems were sustaining monsters created from human embryos. He opened the animals’ cages and asked the primates to lead them out before he planned to collapse the zoo, but two hunters found him hiding in the Archive Room.

• Zhao Xun used the Gorilla Silhouette stone to enter the Underground Chamber, then destroyed the fingerprint lock and retrieved the stone so hunters could not take it.
• Zhao Xun read the Experiment Log and learned that researchers had created the monsters from human embryos, while robots continued to care for them after the researchers died.
• Zhao Xun entered the Control Room with the Baboon Silhouette stone and pulled the Animal Cages switch, opening exits throughout the zoo.
• Zhao Xun used the broadcast system to ask the primates to guide the animals out within three hours and planned to activate Collapse in the tenth round.
• Zhao Xun hid atop a bookshelf in the Archive Room, where two hunters arrived and immediately identified him as the player they were seeking.

Zhao Xun killed Chicken Monster and Duck Monster, then survived the tenth round by pulling the Underground Chamber’s collapse switch and escaping the destruction of Happy Animal Zoo. He cleared the game, completed the hidden quest, and earned rewards for unlocking all storylines.

• Zhao Xun learned that Hunters could track players hiding in places unsuitable for their transformed bodies, then let Chicken Monster and Duck Monster topple a bookshelf so he could return to human form.
• Zhao Xun used a plastic toy fruit knife and a wire-controlled dart to kill Chicken Monster and Duck Monster, earning 60 points.
• Zhao Xun entered the tenth round as a ballpoint pen, reached the control room, and pulled the metal switch with [Metal Control] to trigger the zoo’s collapse.
• Zhao Xun escaped the Underground Chamber by flying through a ceiling gap and boring upward through loose soil, while players gathered in the open area of the Adorable Pets Park.
• Happy Animal Zoo collapsed, ending the game and clearing the surviving players; Zhao Xun completed the hidden quest and received [Primates' Blessing] and a storyline-unlock bonus.

After surviving the fifth Platform Game, Zhao Xun examined his new primate-summoning item, upgraded Devour to level four, and returned to the Endless Train. He learned that the sixth round would begin on September 27 and rested while considering the rules for veteran players.

• Zhao Xun counted twenty-nine players who returned from the game and saw several injured players board the train while three unconscious players were left without treatment.
• Zhao Xun inspected Primates' Blessing, which let him communicate with and summon up to ten kinds of primates.
• Zhao Xun checked his ranking of 130 with 714 points and spent 500 points to upgrade Devour to level four, gaining fourfold amplification and room for six abilities.
• The train announced that it would reach the Sixth Stop on September 27 and that 27 new players remained; Zhao Xun concluded no veteran players had joined the fifth round.
• Zhao Xun asked Xiao Hong whether her personal missions had changed while she stayed aboard, and she said they had not.
• Zhao Xun reviewed his mission to destroy one of his weapons, discussed the likely timing of the sixth Platform Game with Xiao Hong, and went to sleep.

Zhao Xun obtained Wu Wei’s [Beastification lv2] ability through [Devour] and later entered the Fairy-Tale Forest Platform Game. He found the March Hare beneath a tree, who had just woken up and could not remember what he had been searching for.

• Zhao Xun visited Wu Wei, learned that a Hunter had killed one of Wu Wei’s teammates, and used the Cowboy’s wallet to distract Wu Wei while secretly taking a cuff button.
• Zhao Xun acquired [Beastification lv2], whose amplified effects let him transform his whole body or selected parts and enhance one beast characteristic fourfold.
• Zhao Xun stayed near the bottom of the rankings without placing last, then bought supplies before the train arrived at Fairy-Tale Forest on September 27.
• The game rules required players to complete quests for at least two of forty fairy-tale characters, and Zhao Xun entered the forest to find them.
• Zhao Xun found the March Hare sleeping under a tree, turned off his flashlight when the Hare complained, and asked what he had been looking for.

Zhao Xun found the March Hare’s pocket watch and completed the hare’s quest, then searched the forest for other fairy-tale characters. After hours of searching and resting, he encountered a Toy Soldier who could not remember what help he needed.

• Zhao Xun followed the March Hare to a dusty tea table and searched it while learning about the hare’s missing silver pocket watch.
• Zhao Xun used enhanced hearing to locate the ticking watch in the March Hare’s coat, returned it, and completed the quest.
• The tea-table scene disappeared, leaving Zhao Xun in a different part of the forest, where he searched for NPCs without success.
• Zhao Xun transformed into an owl and flew through the forest, then returned to human form to rest and replenish his energy.
• A Toy Soldier approached Zhao Xun and admitted that he could not remember where he was or what he needed help with.

Zhao Xun accepted Cinderella’s quest to obtain the queen’s Magic Mirror and helped her enter the palace. After realizing that players with different fairy-tale quests could share the same scenario, he searched the royal bedchambers and discovered another player hiding there just as Snow White arrived.

• Zhao Xun found a princess consort whose quest was to obtain the queen’s Magic Mirror, and she identified herself as Cinderella.
• Zhao Xun told Cinderella to pose as a visiting princess consort, get close to the queen, and keep the queen occupied at a banquet while he searched for the mirror.
• Cinderella used her sapphire ring to enter the palace, where she met the king and queen and explained her visit.
• When Cinderella revealed her name, Zhao Xun realized characters from different fairy tales—and players with separate quests—could share the scenario, so he left to search the palace.
• Zhao Xun found the king and queen’s dressing room and hid when a round-faced player entered to search the drawers and wardrobe for a paper.
• The player found a yellowed sheet in a drawer of gloves and hid with Zhao Xun behind a clothes rack when Snow White entered the room.

Zhao Xun discovered that the Magic Mirror wanted to escape the queen’s control and learned what it would take to break their contract. He arranged for Cinderella to host a banquet, then gathered the queen’s hair, tears, and blood, leaving her injured while Cinderella covered for him.

• Snow White and Zhaozhao searched for portraits of Snow White’s birth mother, and Snow White told Zhaozhao that her stepmother had burned most of them and executed the maid who hid the rest.
• Zhao Xun revealed himself to the Magic Mirror, learned that the queen’s contract could be broken with her hair, blood, and tears, and secured its promise to answer one question in exchange for helping it escape.
• Zhao Xun returned to Cinderella as a cat, and Cinderella persuaded the queen to lend him the cat and arrange a banquet that evening.
• The queen carried Zhao Xun while speaking with Cinderella, allowing him to collect one of her loose hairs before he left to prepare a way to make her cry.
• Zhao Xun rubbed onion juice on his paw, irritated the queen’s eyes until they watered, pricked her finger for blood, and had Cinderella claim that a strip of the chair had injured her.

Zhao Xun tested whether the Magic Mirror could reveal information about the Endless Train and learned it only knew fairy-tale matters. He arranged to return at midnight to free it under the moonlight, while Cinderella prepared to keep the banquet going and Zhaozhao planned to search the palace for Snow White’s portrait.

• Zhao Xun gave the Magic Mirror the queen’s tears, blood, and hair, then made it swear to answer his questions truthfully.
• The Magic Mirror admitted it knew neither the Endless Train nor the Tenth District’s district chief, so Zhao Xun concluded it could not help him learn about the real world.
• Zhao Xun told Cinderella to extend the banquet past midnight and meet him alone in the queen’s bedroom so they could free the Magic Mirror.
• Zhao Xun hid in a wardrobe and overheard Zhaozhao and Snow White plan to search the palace for Snow White’s cherished portrait and the basement.
• At eleven thirty, Zhao Xun left the wardrobe and prepared to use the busy banquet and polite patrols to carry out his plan.

Zhao Xun helped Cinderella steal the Magic Mirror from the Queen and escaped the palace with her, then carried her toward the neighboring kingdom through the forest. As they paused to rest, Cinderella revealed that she needed the Magic Mirror’s help with something.

• Zhao Xun exposed the Magic Mirror to moonlight until its contract with the Queen dissolved, then bound it with the [Lively Long Rope].
• Cinderella tried holding the Magic Mirror, but it did not count as hers, so Zhao Xun decided to take her beyond the kingdom’s borders.
• Cinderella left the palace without drawing suspicion, and Zhao Xun carried her into the forest before turning into a leopard to travel faster.
• Cinderella guided Zhao Xun through the forest toward the border, and he stopped to rest after running for more than an hour.
• Cinderella told the tied-up Magic Mirror that she needed its help, and it refused to cooperate unless she made it happy.

Zhao Xun completed Cinderella’s mission by helping her ask the Magic Mirror whether the Prince loved her most, then returned to the Endless Train and learned he ranked 170th. On September 30, Tiantian met him in the Ordinary Dining Car and began hinting at the real reason she had sought him out.

• Zhao Xun negotiated with the Magic Mirror to answer one of Cinderella’s questions in exchange for its freedom, and it agreed.
• At the kingdom’s border, Cinderella asked whether she was the woman the Prince loved most; the Magic Mirror said yes, Zhao Xun completed his mission, and he released it.
• Zhao Xun returned to the train, rested beside Zhaozhao, and later learned he ranked 170th, that 16 new players remained, and that the train would return to its starting station on October 1.
• Xiao Hong told Zhao Xun that Tiantian had asked to meet him, and Zhao Xun completed his September 30 mission by destroying one of his kitchen knives.
• Tiantian met Zhao Xun in the Ordinary Dining Car, asked about his rank and special ability upgrades, and said she had something to discuss with him.

Zhao Xun learned that veteran players had to manage survival time and follow a new set of Train Rules, including spending at least three days in dream games every ten days. After becoming a veteran player, he received the rules and began studying the details of dream games, while his survival on the Endless Train entered a new stage.

• Tiantian asked Zhao Xun to help with a task after he became familiar with veteran-player rules, and he said he would decide later.
• The train announced that sixteen new players had become veteran players and that seven who had completed only two platform games faced punishment; Zhao Xun watched them enter Car 17.
• Zhao Xun and Xiao Hong received new tickets and moved into Car 07, where Zhao Xun shared a compartment with Wu Wei, the Short-Haired Woman, and A Jie.
• The newly promoted veteran players received individual pop-ups listing the veteran Train Rules, and Zhao Xun learned that his 302 points gave him twelve days and fourteen hours of survival time.
• Zhao Xun read the details about obtaining survival time and learned that veteran players could earn it through platform games, dream games, or exchanging points.
• Zhao Xun opened the dream-game details and learned that players had to complete main missions, could choose whether to accept side and hidden missions, and might encounter other players in merged dreams.

Zhao Xun learned the veteran-player rules, including the costly dream-game safeguards and two possible paths to becoming Train Conductor, while concluding that Tiantian had no interest in leaving the train. Tiantian explained that repeated dream-game failures had forced her to cut expenses and asked for Zhao Xun’s help, though he questioned whether their merged dreams would give them the same tasks.

• Zhao Xun read the dream-game precautions and learned that players needed a ticket, a Proxy Body, and a paid Safety Barrier to protect their connection to the game.
• Zhao Xun learned that players could become Train Conductor by spending ten thousand points or collecting enough dream-game clues, and reviewed how veteran rankings determined berths and privileges.
• The train departed after the new passengers finished their competition, and the Short-Haired Woman, Wu Wei, and A Jie agreed to avoid platform games while they learned about dream games.
• Zhao Xun waited for Tiantian outside Car 6, then followed her to breakfast and deduced that she had been cutting back because her dream-game tasks kept costing her points.
• Tiantian admitted that she had failed multiple tasks and wanted Zhao Xun’s help, while Zhao Xun asked whether the tasks were shared by everyone whose dreams merged.

Zhao Xun agreed to help Tiantian with a dream-game task in mid-October, then returned to his compartment and confronted a flamboyant veteran player recruiting for a dating organization. The player’s unwanted advances ended with Zhao Xun slashing his arm with a machete.

• Tiantian explained that veteran players who survived more than six months could ask another player to join their dream game, and Zhao Xun agreed to help her repay his favor.
• Tiantian told Zhao Xun about Rainbow, a veteran player recruiting people for a dating organization, and said he had boarded a month before Zhao Xun.
• Zhao Xun returned to Compartment Three in Car Seven and found a man in a floral dress recruiting Wu Wei and two other volunteers for an organization.
• The man approached Zhao Xun and tried to touch his face, so Zhao Xun dodged and cut the man's arm with a machete.

Rainbow tried to recruit A Jie into his dating organization, Love Above All, but the Volunteers rejected him and sent him away. Zhao Xun then agreed to introduce Wu Wei to Whistle, an information-selling Veteran Player, in exchange for a favor, and went to check whether Whistle was available for lunch.

• A Jie and Zhao Xun rebuffed Rainbow's advances, while Rainbow tried to persuade the Volunteers to join his organization by praising the value of enjoying life.
• Rainbow revealed that his nickname was Rainbow and that he had founded Love Above All, prompting A Jie, the Short-Haired Woman, and Wu Wei to refuse him and send him out.
• After Rainbow left, Zhao Xun criticized the Volunteers for not seeking information about Veteran Players sooner, and Wu Wei admitted they had delayed asking around.
• Wu Wei asked Zhao Xun to introduce him to a knowledgeable Veteran Player, and Zhao Xun offered to arrange a meeting with Whistle in exchange for a favor.
• Wu Wei agreed to owe Zhao Xun a favor within limits protecting his conscience, morals, and the interests of the Volunteers, then asked whether they could meet Whistle at lunch.
• Zhao Xun agreed to check whether Whistle was available and went to ask him.

Zhao Xun acquired Rainbow’s [Snake Hair lv3] with [Devour], then discovered that Tiantian’s [Demon Ghost lv5] had the unique “One and Only” rarity and could not be devoured. He arranged a noon meeting between Wu Wei and Whistle so Wu Wei could ask Whistle for information.

• Zhao Xun devoured Rainbow’s blood and obtained [Snake Hair lv3], whose amplified form had lethal venomous snakes, then judged the original ability manageable.
• Zhao Xun visited Tiantian and learned that Whistle was available in Carriage Four to sell information.
• While Tiantian was distracted, Zhao Xun took one of her nail clippings and tried to devour it, but learned that her [Demon Ghost lv5] was a unique ability he could not consume.
• Zhao Xun concluded that other “One and Only” abilities existed and that [Devour] could not copy them, then went to find Whistle.
• Zhao Xun arranged for Whistle to meet Wu Wei in the Ordinary Dining Car at noon, and Wu Wei arrived early to wait.

Wu Wei asked the information broker Whistle about surviving veteran Volunteers and learned that three remained, but none were likely to help the newer Volunteers. He left with troubling news about the first batch’s sole survivor, who had turned against Volunteers and killed those who approached him.

• Wu Wei met Whistle in the Ordinary Dining Car and offered him food and a handgun with two loaded magazines in exchange for information.
• Whistle told Wu Wei that three veteran Volunteers were still alive on the Endless Train.
• Whistle explained that the August Volunteer was struggling to survive and the May Volunteer refused to form alliances or help later batches.
• Whistle revealed that the first batch’s surviving Volunteer had turned evil and killed any Volunteer who approached him seeking cooperation.
• Whistle warned Wu Wei that all three veteran Volunteers had abandoned their original convictions and might attack him and his companions.

Wu Wei learned that the surviving Volunteers included the dangerous Death God, then decided with the Short-Haired Woman and A Jie to avoid all three for now. Zhao Xun entered the dream game and found himself lying beneath a spotlight on a stage before a crowded, darkened audience.

• Whistle told Wu Wei about Scarf, White Cat, and Death God, and described Death God well enough for Wu Wei to recognize him.
• Wu Wei returned to his teammates, and A Jie angrily vowed to avenge the Volunteers killed by Death God before Wu Wei stopped him.
• Wu Wei, the Short-Haired Woman, and A Jie debated whether to approach Scarf or White Cat, then agreed to leave all three Volunteers alone for safety.
• At noon on October 4, Zhao Xun bought three days of Safety Barrier protection and chose to enter the dream game.
• Zhao Xun arrived on a lit stage, with metal bars in front of him and a large audience watching from the dark stands.

Zhao Xun found himself trapped in a birdcage during a Dream Game, where his special abilities failed during the main quest. After arranging for a Pygmy Marmoset to steal the cage keys, he recognized the scenario as drawing on his past and confronted Liao Ming when the young man appeared.

• Zhao Xun tried and failed to use his special abilities to escape the cage, then confirmed that his special item could still summon a Pygmy Marmoset.
• Wang Dongliang scolded Zhao Xun for ruining the performance, and Zhao provoked him long enough for the Pygmy Marmoset to secretly follow him and search for the cage keys.
• Wang Ling'er visited Zhao Xun and left him a piece of rice cake, which he stored for later.
• Zhao Xun considered how the Dream Game reflected people and events from his past, then greeted Liao Ming with a cutting insult.

Zhao Xun provoked Liao Ming into attacking him, then tortured and killed him inside the cage. After Wang Dongliang arrived, Zhao Xun passed off the death as suicide and reflected on how the dream game had transformed people and memories from his past into NPCs.

• Zhao Xun taunted Liao Ming about serving Wang Dongliang until Liao Ming lunged at him, allowing Zhao Xun to break his arm and stab him repeatedly.
• Zhao Xun deliberately missed Liao Ming's heart several times before killing him as hurried footsteps approached.
• Wang Dongliang found Zhao Xun beside Liao Ming's bloodied body, and Zhao Xun claimed Liao Ming had killed himself with an icicle.
• Wang Dongliang ordered Zhao Xun to keep quiet and planned to tell others that Liao Ming had run away with money.
• After Wang Dongliang left, Zhao Xun recalled Liao Ming's childhood bullying and considered why the dream game had turned people from his memories into NPCs.