Chapter Summaries

Song Ning treated Gu Zheng's injured ankle while considering how the organization K might use Ghost and military collaborators to help Buddha Lord escape overseas. Gu Zheng confirmed their ship was legally clearing checkpoints and heading out to sea, leaving them to prepare for a confrontation at the Miaoshan Islands.

• Song Ning treated Gu Zheng's ankle and reasoned that Night Owl was likely K's Second Master, Buddha Lord led the organization, and Ghost might help him flee overseas.
• Gu Zheng woke, checked the ship's heading, and returned with a pistol he had taken from the crew's lounge.
• Gu Zheng told Song Ning that the ship had passed the first checkpoint and was traveling with valid paperwork and an authorized route.
• Gu Zheng explained that the ship would next have to pass the heavily monitored Miaoshan Islands, where military vessels could pass without stopping.
• Gu Zheng and Song Ning agreed to rest and prepare to stop the fugitives at the Miaoshan Islands, whatever happened.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng infiltrated the ship in crew uniforms as rough weather approached and learned it would pass through the Laotieshan Channel at ten that night. They headed toward the lower decks after an announcement ordered personnel inside, but a guard spotted them and called for them to stop.

• Song Ning and Gu Zheng rested in the cargo hold, taking turns keeping watch as the ship sailed through worsening weather.
• After darkness fell, they changed into crew uniforms, covered them with black cloaks, and slipped onto the decks.
• Gu Zheng questioned the captain and learned the ship was scheduled to pass through the Laotieshan Channel at ten that night.
• Song Ning and Gu Zheng headed down toward the second level after a loudspeaker ordered everyone on deck to return to the living quarters.
• A guard shouted at Song Ning and Gu Zheng to stop as they descended the stairs.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng infiltrated the ship while delivering medicine to Buddha Lord, then discovered the black-cloaked crew were wearing Ocean Administration uniforms. As a naval patrol ship approached and the crew revealed mounted heavy machine guns, Gu Zheng prepared to fight.

• Song Ning recognized the foreign woman from the Underground Base, then accepted a box of sedative intended for Buddha Lord.
• Gu Zheng delivered the medicine to a crowded cabin while Song Ning waited nearby, and they returned to the upper decks when ordered.
• An urgent bell sounded, and Gu Zheng pulled Song Ning into hiding as the black-cloaked people removed their cloaks to reveal Ocean Administration uniforms.
• A naval patrol ship approached near the mouth of Bohai Bay and signaled the vessel for its registration and destination.
• The crew uncovered several heavy machine guns, and Gu Zheng told Song Ning to prepare for battle.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng discovered that the armed men aboard their ship had used Ocean Administration credentials to evade a patrol boat and were preparing to pass through the Laotieshan Channel. As a storm hit, they split up to sabotage the ship if it escaped naval inspection and to keep Buddha Lord from getting away.

• Song Ning and Gu Zheng watched the crew aim heavy machine guns at a naval patrol boat, then lower their weapons after it passed without challenging the ship.
• Gu Zheng concluded that the ship had authentic credentials backed by an Ocean Administration insider and planned to reach the Laotieshan Channel around ten.
• Song Ning knocked out and tied up a man who entered the storeroom, and Gu Zheng later reported that nearly sixty armed men were aboard.
• Gu Zheng told Song Ning to sabotage the engines from the bottom compartment if the ship passed inspection, while he pursued Buddha Lord on the second deck.
• Gu Zheng led Song Ning toward the bottom compartment as the storm arrived and the ship pitched violently.

Song Ning hid aboard the ship while it passed a naval inspection, then killed two guards and reached the engine room to sabotage the vessel. She prepared to use her limited grenades against the enormous engine assembly, with only one chance to destroy it.

• Song Ning watched from a crew cabin as naval personnel inspected the ship, but an Ocean Administration official’s military exemption allowed it to proceed.
• When the ship began moving again, Song Ning realized she had to destroy its propulsion equipment and found two guards blocking the stairs below.
• Song Ning followed one guard to the crew quarters, killed him with a dagger, then used the same method to kill the second guard.
• Song Ning reached Basement Level Three and assessed the engine assembly, deciding that careful placement of her limited anti-tank grenades was her only chance.

Song Ning sabotaged the ship’s fuel line and set the engine compartment ablaze, then fought her way upward to escape and find Gu Zheng. Meanwhile, Gu Zheng watched a blond woman in a black cloak escape over the stern and waited, suspecting Buddha Lord might try to flee as well.

• Song Ning attached a shaped-charge grenade to the fuel pipe, then used a second grenade to ignite the leaking diesel and start a fire.
• Song Ning ran toward the upper decks, threw her last hand grenade at three men in the cargo hold, and shot two more men on the stairs.
• Song Ning continued upward, hoping to escape and warn Gu Zheng about the coming explosion, unaware that he was no longer aboard.
• Gu Zheng hid near the stern while black-clad men and a blond woman with a Small Metal Suitcase waited for the ship to reach the checkpoint.
• The blond woman climbed over the stern rail and escaped down a rope ladder to a waiting boat, while Gu Zheng stayed hidden and suspected Buddha Lord might also flee.

Gu Zheng and Song Ning destroyed the ship carrying the K organization’s escape plan and survived its explosions, while the navy moved in to rescue them and arrest those aboard. After the ship sank, Song Ning discovered that Gu Zheng’s bullet wound was far more serious than he had admitted, and he was taken for urgent treatment.

• Gu Zheng realized the ship had military clearance and attacked the men guarding its stern after Song Ning blew up the engines.
• Gu Zheng was dragged into the sea during the fight as further explosions rocked the ship, while Song Ning fought her way onto the deck and jumped overboard to escape the blasts.
• Gu Zheng caught up with Song Ning underwater, and they surfaced together as the ship burned and naval vessels arrived.
• The navy rescued Gu Zheng and Song Ning, sealed off the area, and let Gu Zheng take command of the arrests as the ship sank.
• Song Ning saw that Gu Zheng’s upper-arm wound had become infected, and the medic said he needed surgery.
• Gu Zheng’s strength failed as his fever rose, but he reassured Song Ning that the bullet had not been for nothing.

Song Ning returned to find that Gu Zheng’s infected gunshot wound had become life-threatening and doctors recommended amputating his arm. She asked for time to test whether the nerves were still intact, but Director Wang warned that delay could kill him.

• Song Ning went to warm herself at the hospital bathhouse while Company Commander Xiao waited outside the Resuscitation Room.
• Director Wang told Company Commander Xiao that Gu Zheng needed an amputation immediately because his wound had caused severe muscle death and infection.
• Song Ning hurried back after hearing the news and found Chen Liang and Han Xiao being asked to authorize the operation.
• Song Ning identified herself as a Military Medical University student and asked to enter the Resuscitation Room, but Director Wang explained Gu Zheng’s dangerous blood potassium and kidney readings.
• Song Ning asked for time to perform bedside electromyography, while Director Wang insisted that every minute of delay worsened Gu Zheng’s condition.

Song Ning fought to save Gu Zheng’s badly injured arm and persuaded Director Wang to let her explore the wound and attempt surgery. Meanwhile, Yang Qi searched for the Buddha Lord after the boat exploded, but neither the prisoners nor the recovered bodies revealed where he had gone.

• Song Ning insisted on trying to save Gu Zheng’s arm, and Chen Liang and Han Xiao backed her decision before she entered the Resuscitation Room.
• Song Ning examined Gu Zheng and found severe swelling and poor circulation, but detected a continuing arterial signal and nerve conduction.
• Song Ning asked Director Wang for two hours to explore the wound and repair Gu Zheng’s arm if possible, and Director Wang agreed to assist her in surgery.
• Yang Qi learned that Gu Zheng had boarded the vessel sent to retrieve the Buddha Lord, then helped search the wreckage and interrogate the twenty-eight captured people.
• Yang Qi found no sign of the Buddha Lord among the prisoners or bodies recovered from the sea and wondered where he had escaped.

Yang Qi’s team recovered more bodies from the wreck and identified one as the Buddha Lord, while Song Ning performed emergency surgery on Gu Zheng’s arm. The chapter left the Buddha Lord’s identity awaiting Song Ning’s confirmation and Gu Zheng’s nerve repair still ahead.

• Yang Qi learned that rescuers had recovered nineteen bodies and that the navy would turn the suspects over to him.
• Yang Qi found a huge body that two Black-Clad Men recognized as the Buddha Lord, and he planned to have Song Ning confirm the identification.
• Song Ning removed necrotic muscle from Gu Zheng’s arm and replaced a damaged section of his ulnar artery with a vein graft.
• Song Ning completed the blood vessel repairs, then prepared to address the nerves that would determine how much function Gu Zheng regained in his arm.

Song Ning completed a delicate operation that saved Gu Zheng's arm for now, though his survival and recovery remained uncertain during the next seventy-two hours. She then identified Buddha Lord's drowned body, but the team was called to investigate another survivor brought back by a patrol boat.

• Song Ning finished repairing Gu Zheng's arm, and Director Wang said the surgery had succeeded but warned that infection, blocked grafts, and other complications could still threaten him.
• Song Ning chose to rest in a nearby ward so she could stay close to Gu Zheng during the critical seventy-two hours.
• Xiong Gang told Song Ning that Buddha Lord's body had been recovered, and she went with him, Han Xiao, and Chen Liang to identify it.
• Song Ning confirmed that the drowned corpse was Buddha Lord, and Yang Qi and the others celebrated the end of their pursuit.
• A man in a raincoat reported that a patrol boat had returned with someone alive and called for Team Leader Yang.

Song Ning learned that the foreign woman found at sea had survived the sinking and might be connected to Ghost’s escape plan. While Gu Zheng remained in critical condition, he finally woke up, and Song Ning asked how he felt.

• Yang Qi went to the harbor after a survivor was reported, while Song Ning returned to watch over Gu Zheng.
• Han Xiao and Chen Liang told Song Ning that the rescued foreign woman had been found tied to a disabled lifeboat and rushed to the Resuscitation Room.
• A navy serviceman explained that the ship had exceeded lifeboat requirements, and Chen Liang suspected the crew had planned an escape with a vessel waiting nearby.
• The doctor stabilized the woman, and the navy ordered her moved to the Special Ward for questioning.
• Song Ning monitored Gu Zheng through the night and reviewed his dangerous potassium and fever readings the next day.
• Gu Zheng woke up, and Song Ning hurried to his bedside to ask how he felt.

Gu Zheng woke briefly after surgery, learned the Buddha Lord was dead, and promised Song Ning he would recover and spend time with her. Song Ning then joined the interrogation of the captured foreign chemist, Suzanna, and confronted her with evidence that she had also been called Annie.

• Gu Zheng woke and reassured Song Ning that he felt no pain, while she told him the Buddha Lord had drowned and the other suspects had been captured.
• Gu Zheng confessed his love for Song Ning and fell unconscious again after she kissed his forehead.
• Song Ning told Han Xiao and Chen Liang that Gu Zheng remained weak and that it would take time to assess whether his complicated surgery had succeeded.
• Song Ning learned the captured foreign woman claimed the Buddha Lord had hired her as a chemist, and that other foreign experts and mercenaries had also worked for him.
• Song Ning questioned the woman, who identified herself as Suzanna, then challenged her by saying others had called her Annie.

Song Ning questioned Suzanna about Voss and suspected she was concealing her true purpose despite her apparent fear. When Gu Zheng’s repaired arm developed a dangerous blockage, Song Ning ordered emergency surgery and left his recovery uncertain.

• Song Ning recognized Suzanna’s nickname as Annie and questioned her about Voss, whose name made Suzanna react with fear and disgust.
• Song Ning told Yang Qi that Suzanna might be acting, while Yang Qi said they would wait for her to reveal herself.
• Yang Qi said the suspects had to be escorted back by the following night, and Song Ning said she would stay with Gu Zheng.
• Director Wang reported that Gu Zheng’s hand had turned purple and his blood pressure had fallen, so Song Ning diagnosed a blockage caused by reperfusion injury.
• Song Ning raised and massaged Gu Zheng’s arm, then had papaverine injected to temporarily relieve the blockage.
• After Director Wang warned that delay could endanger Gu Zheng’s life, Song Ning ordered the team to prepare for surgery.

Song Ning saved blood flow to Gu Zheng’s arm by removing clots and repairing the vessel, then monitored his recovery as his potassium level began to fall. After Yang Qi and Xiong Gang departed, she considered the cases of Zhou Yuanhang and Lin Xiaoming and began asking Han Xiao about unidentified bodies from the pursuit.

• Song Ning reopened Gu Zheng’s wound, removed clots, repaired the swollen vessel, and restored blood flow to his hand.
• Song Ning rested while Director Wang and a nurse monitored Gu Zheng; his condition stayed stable, and his potassium later dropped to 5.7.
• Yang Qi and Xiong Gang left with the Prisoner Escort Team after Song Ning said she was eighty percent confident she could save Gu Zheng’s arm; Yang Qi warned of a possible ambush on the return route.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that Zhou Yuanhang had been found injured by the roadside and was receiving hospital treatment, while he had no news about Lin Xiaoming.
• Song Ning asked Han Xiao to help identify a body with a slashed face and determine whether Night Owl was alive or dead.

Song Ning and Chen Liang failed to identify Night Owl among the recovered bodies, while news from Capital City indicated K was collapsing after Buddha Lord’s death. Gu Zheng woke from surgery, learned that his arm could be saved, and thanked Song Ning for protecting it.

• Song Ning examined the recovered bodies with Han Xiao and Chen Liang but could not determine whether Night Owl was among them.
• Yang Qi reported that he had safely escorted the prisoners to Capital City without an ambush, and Song Ning concluded that K could no longer threaten the Dawn Project soon.
• A nurse announced that Gu Zheng had awakened and his fever had broken, so Song Ning took Han Xiao into the observation room to see him.
• Han Xiao anxiously chattered to Gu Zheng until Director Wang ordered him to leave, and Han Xiao apologized for criticizing the doctor.
• Director Wang checked Gu Zheng’s test results, confirmed his life was no longer in danger and his arm could be saved, and credited Song Ning for protecting it.

After Song Ning saved Gu Zheng’s life and arm, Gu Zheng warned that Ghost and infiltrators within the military still posed a threat. Han Xiao and Chen Liang then told Song Ning they had bad news, leaving the new development undisclosed.

• Director Wang thanked Song Ning for saving Gu Zheng’s arm and praised the future of Hua Country’s medicine.
• Song Ning reassured Gu Zheng that he was out of mortal danger, and they shared an emotional moment as he promised to protect himself.
• Gu Zheng warned Song Ning that the K organization’s remnants, Ghost, and military moles remained threats, and suspected they had learned of Yang Qi’s planned ambush.
• Song Ning insisted Gu Zheng rest, then confirmed his vital signs were stable and updated Han Xiao and Chen Liang on his condition.
• Han Xiao and Chen Liang told Song Ning they had bad news.

Song Ning learned that two officials involved in Buddha Lord’s escape had died without identifying who had directed them, while Gu Zheng recovered enough to return to Capital City for further treatment. As Song Ning took charge of his care at the Military District General Hospital, she discovered that Lu Changqing was staying on the same floor and wondered whether he had awakened.

• Han Xiao told Song Ning that the navy transport official tied to Buddha Lord’s ship had died by suicide, while Chen Liang reported that the Ocean Administration deputy who dispatched the ship had died after confessing.
• Song Ning concluded that the two officials had been sleeper pawns, and she and the others went to eat after learning Gu Zheng was out of immediate danger.
• Gu Zheng moved to a regular ward, and three days later he traveled with Song Ning and the others to Capital City for continued treatment of his injured arm.
• Song Ning insisted that Gu Zheng go directly to the hospital, and he agreed after she threatened to stop caring for him.
• Tan Min and Tan Qingru welcomed Gu Zheng at the hospital, while Song Ning arranged to oversee his treatment and learned she would soon be able to join the surgical department officially.
• Song Ning agreed to attend a consultation about Elder Zhou’s urgent surgery, then noticed that Lu Changqing was staying on the same floor as Gu Zheng.

After returning from the sea, Song Ning learned that Gu Zheng's injured arm might recover with further treatment and visited Lu Changqing in the hospital. She then asked Lei Ming about Lin Xiaoming and learned he had not been in Capital City recently.

• Song Ning reassured Wei Jinjun that Gu Zheng's arm might recover after one or two more operations, and she vowed to help him regain its use.
• Song Ning decided against visiting Tang Wei after hearing he was recovering but resented her, then went to see Lu Changqing.
• Song Ning asked Lu Changqing whether he had visited the Guo'an Machinery Factory, but he denied knowing where it was and said his blind date had failed.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that Lu Changqing had been kidnapped and tortured for two strings of codes but had refused to reveal them.
• Song Ning asked Lei Ming whether he had investigated Lin Xiaoming, and Lei Ming reported that Lin had not been in Capital City recently.

Song Ning learned that Lin Xiaoming had been touring with the Arts and Culture Troupe while she was away, and she returned to caring for the exhausted Gu Zheng in the hospital. After an awkward encounter with Tan Min, Song Ning went to visit Zhou Yuanhang, who was hospitalized on the fifth floor.

• Lao Lei told Song Ning that Lin Xiaoming had been performing with the Arts and Culture Troupe across the North China Military District and that his people were watching him.
• Song Ning checked Gu Zheng's pulse, told him to rest before discussing what had happened, and watched him fall asleep after receiving an IV.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that Zhou Yuanhang was hospitalized on the fifth floor, while Tan Min insisted that Song Ning rest in a duty room.
• Song Ning found Tan Min crying on the stairs and complaining to Chen Liang that Song Ning had refused her help and would not let her stay with Gu Zheng.
• Song Ning asked Han Xiao to watch Gu Zheng's IV and went to the fifth floor to find Zhou Yuanhang's room.