Chapter Summaries

After being transported into the manager’s office of Lobotomy Corporation, Shen Yu discovered that the facility was already in a disastrous state and that no system had appeared to help him. The Little Knight from Hollow Knight then arrived, and Shen Yu began thinking of a way to use their connection to the Void and light to survive.

• After finishing Hollow Knight, Shen Yu started Lobotomy Corporation to relax and was suddenly transported into its world.
• Shen Yu woke in the manager’s office, where Angela explained that the Cognitive Filter had failed and he had suffered severe mental contamination.
• Shen Yu checked the facility and found it was already past day twenty-one, with a disastrous collection of dangerous Abnormalities and no employees listed.
• Shen Yu asked Angela to leave and surrender her surveillance and dispatch authority, then called for a system but received no reply.
• The Little Knight appeared in the office, sat on Shen Yu’s lap as if he were a bench, and adjusted their Charms.
• Shen Yu recognized the Little Knight and began considering how their connection to the Void might help him deal with the Seed of Light.

Shen Yu tested the Little Knight’s powers and summoned Terry to borrow his E.G.O. Solitude. After sending Terry to rest, Shen Yu used the Dream Nail on Solitude, and glowing patterned wheels erupted through the office.

• Shen Yu discovered he could control the Little Knight and tested its Abyss Shriek, which melted the office camera and damaged the wall.
• Terry received Shen Yu’s summons and feared he would be punished or sent on a dangerous mission.
• Shen Yu reassured Terry that he only wanted to examine his E.G.O., and Terry handed over Solitude before going to the Rest Room.
• Shen Yu locked the Rest Room and had the Little Knight strike Solitude with the Dream Nail, causing patterned wheels to burst out and illuminate the office.

Shen Yu restored E.G.O. Solitude with the Little Knight’s Dream Nail, then used the nail on himself and was drawn through a white Godtuner into the Void-dominated Godhome. He reached its entrance and was challenged by the Godseeker to prove his worth.

• Shen Yu equipped E.G.O. Solitude and discovered that it greatly enhanced his abilities and gave him instinctive skill with its revolver.
• Shen Yu took sleeping pills and asked the Little Knight to strike him with the Dream Nail, but the strike revealed that he and his E.G.O. had become a mass of light.
• The Little Knight touched Shen Yu’s light form, pulling him into a void where he found a pale Godtuner and was drawn inside it.
• Shen Yu awoke in the Void-dominated Godhome and learned that completing the Pantheon of the Godhome Master would let him ascend to the next life tier.
• Shen Yu crossed a broken pillar and reached Godhome’s entrance, where the Godseeker demanded that he prove his worth.

Shen Yu entered Godhome to prove his worth and was sent to the Hall of Gods to fight its chosen warriors. After selecting Hornet’s bronze-attunement trial, he appeared in an arena before a hostile crowd as Hornet attacked.

• The Godseeker told Shen Yu to fight lesser gods and prove his worth, then led him into Godhome.
• The Godseeker refused to let Shen Yu enter the trial gates until he paid homage in the Hall of Gods.
• Shen Yu chose Hornet’s statue and selected the bronze attunement level with his Godtuner.
• Shen Yu appeared in an arena where the King of Fools and the Godseeker watched from their seats, while the Little Knight slept on the Pale Throne.
• Hornet warned Shen Yu before launching her Stinger at him, and EGO Resonance raised his Old Lady Attunement Rate to 1%.

Shen Yu defeated Hornet in the Godhome Arena, and the battle raised his attunement with the Old Lady while granting him Hornet’s combat techniques. Godseeker sent him back to reality before he could ask Hornet for silk thread, leaving him eager to test his new abilities.

• Shen Yu fought Hornet with EGO Solitude, dodging her attacks until his stamina ran low and he committed to firing instead of evading.
• Hornet stopped her Stinger just short of Shen Yu’s throat, declared him the winner, and the Fool King and many spectators cheered his victory.
• The resonance from the battle increased Shen Yu’s Old Lady attunement from 1% to 18%, and he learned that Hornet’s attunement had granted him techniques including Backstep, speed boosts, and silk-based abilities.
• Godseeker questioned Shen Yu about E.G.O. and asked him to bring other E.G.O. weapons to Godhome so the Godseekers could hear their resonance.
• Shen Yu tried to ask Hornet for silk thread, but Godseeker returned him to reality before he could finish.

After discovering that his self-attunement had increased, Shen Yu created a double to leave the office and entered Lobotomy Corporation with the Little Knight. He fought two Scavengers alongside Harvey, but the Frost Shard’s power began freezing him as his Snow Queen attunement started.

• Shen Yu raised his self-attunement rate to 80%, regained the ability to shape his body, and used the Little Knight to turn himself into light and return to the office.
• Shen Yu split off a double named X, slipped past Angela with the Little Knight, and explored Lobotomy Corporation while disguised as a new employee.
• Shen Yu met Harvey, claimed the Little Knight was a newly extracted ZAYIN Abnormality, and asked Harvey for advice about the company.
• Shen Yu and Harvey ran to investigate a disturbance and found a Scavenger attacking a corpse cart’s contents, with a wounded cleaner nearby.
• Shen Yu and Harvey fought two Scavengers; Harvey lost his right arm, while Shen Yu used Hornet’s techniques to defeat them.
• As Shen Yu wielded Harvey’s Frost Shard, its cold began freezing him, and the Godtuner announced that his Snow Queen attunement had risen to 1%.

Shen Yu used the Little Knight to defeat two Scavengers, then claimed it was an Abnormality created by the Manager to suppress other Abnormalities. He took the Little Knight to test the Dream Nail on the Old Lady, whose reality shell broke apart and revealed an endless loneliness that flooded the Containment Room as a black ocean.

• Shen Yu escaped the Scavengers’ attack with Harvey, then controlled the Little Knight to kill both Scavengers with its Nail and spells.
• Shen Yu treated Harvey and explained that the Manager had created [Little Knight] from his own consciousness using Cogito so it could suppress Abnormalities.
• Harvey believed Shen Yu’s account and pledged to help the Manager’s plan.
• Shen Yu took Harvey and the Little Knight to the control room, then entered the Old Lady’s Containment Room to test the Dream Nail.
• Shen Yu struck the Old Lady with the Dream Nail, tearing apart her reality shell and releasing a black ocean formed from her endless loneliness.

Shen Yu and Little Knight defeated Old Lady in her Empty Nest Cabin, raising her Attunement Rate and obtaining the Lonesome E.G.O. After Shen Yu recreated Old Lady in the Containment Room, he headed with Harvey to the Spider Nest, while the original’s cabin continued to affect reality and a hidden system amended the Seed of Light Script.

• Old Lady trapped Shen Yu in a story of loneliness, but Little Knight broke into the cabin and attacked her with Nail strikes, Cyclone Slash, and Shade Soul.
• Little Knight absorbed Old Lady’s energy, and Shen Yu woke in the Containment Room with Old Lady gone and the Lonesome E.G.O. unlocked at an 80% Attunement Rate.
• Shen Yu customized Lonesome into a scythe and used dust from Little Knight to recreate Old Lady in the Containment Room.
• Shen Yu called Harvey and went with him to Spider Nest’s Containment Unit, leaving the recreated Old Lady behind.
• The original Old Lady’s rocking chair leaked murky liquid that pale roots absorbed as a hidden screen amended the Seed of Light Script before going dark.

Shen Yu subdued a fleeing clerk, Owen, then entered Spider Nest’s Containment Unit and provoked Mother Spider while testing his resistance to its mental effects. Little Knight attacked Mother Spider, but its broken shell released a swarm of tiny spiders and eggs instead of Spider Silk.

• Owen mistook Little Knight for an escaped Abnormality and ran, but Shen Yu used Little Knight to intercept him and bound him with EGO Solitude.
• Shen Yu convinced Owen that Little Knight was a ZAYIN-class Abnormality and praised him before leaving with Harvey.
• Shen Yu’s Doppelganger, X, deleted the Control Department’s surveillance footage to conceal what had happened.
• Shen Yu entered Spider Nest, tore down its webs, and fought the little spiders while Mother Spider’s anger produced a bad Insight Work result.
• Shen Yu blinded Mother Spider with Harvey’s flashlight, and Little Knight struck its shell with the Dream Nail, releasing tiny white spiders and eggs.
• Harvey completed good Instinct Work at Soda Machine and carried a restorative strawberry drink back to Shen Yu.

Shen Yu explored the spider-filled world, created a healing ability for his E.G.O., and rescued three employees trapped in cocoons. After one employee accidentally provoked the spiders, Shen Yu faced a swarm of glowing red eyes.

• Shen Yu found himself alone in a web-filled cave and added the healing abilities [Sleepless Night] and [Memory] to [Lonesome], choosing [Memory] to mend his injuries.
• Shen Yu explored the tunnels and found thousands of cocoons, including three containing employees who had been caught after a botched Insight assignment on Spider Bud.
• Shen Yu used [Lonesome] and his combat skills to cut down the three cocoons, then freed Ayla, a middle-aged man, and a hot-tempered employee wearing [Crying Baby].
• The hot-tempered employee complained about the Manager and kicked a stone that struck a spider, drawing countless red-eyed spiders from the crevices.
• Shen Yu asked the employee whether he wanted to join a soccer team as the swarm appeared.

Shen Yu used his Story E.G.O. to stop the pursuing spider swarm, but its eerie tale also drained the Sanity of the people he had rescued. After the spiders melted away, Shen Yu turned to find his companions terrified or unconscious.

• Angela brought coffee to the Manager's office and found him asleep at his desk.
• Shen Yu and three employees fled a river of spiders, but a rock wall trapped them as the swarm closed in.
• Shen Yu manifested Story, which transformed his body and scythe into an aged form and a battered book.
• Shen Yu told a tale that made the spiders melt into black liquid while black dust also weakened the Sanity of the people behind him.
• Ayla fainted, the Crying Baby employee hid behind a boulder, and the middle-aged man recoiled in terror as Shen Yu complained that nobody helped him up.

Shen Yu explained E.G.O. manifestation to Jonah, Ayla, and Sam, then went alone to confront the Mother Spider. He used his Lonesome E.G.O. spotlight against her, leaving her screaming in the sudden brightness.

• Shen Yu recovered his sight by manifesting healing E.G.O. and explained his powers to Jonah and Sam, who recognized the legend of the Red Mist.
• Sam panicked over his Enkephalin withdrawal, while Shen Yu learned that his manifestation had cost him both eyes and most of his stamina.
• Shen Yu learned that Jonah, Ayla, and Sam were trapped in an Abnormality’s mental space and said they needed to cripple or kill the Mother Spider to escape.
• Jonah, Ayla, and Sam feared the Mother Spider, but Shen Yu left them behind and went to confront her alone.
• Shen Yu used his Lonesome E.G.O. spotlight to flood the cavern with light, and the Mother Spider screamed.

Shen Yu and the Little Knight defeated the Mother Spider, rescued the trapped employees, and turned [Spider Nest] into a new E.G.O. that granted Shen Yu silk-based abilities. Back in the office, Shen Yu saw an unforgettable smile through his light Doppelganger.

• Shen Yu used the Little Knight and the Shaman Stone to attack the Mother Spider while using his flashlight to disrupt her fear-inducing gaze.
• Shen Yu killed the Spiderlings that were healing the Mother Spider, and the Little Knight finished the weakened Abnormality as her domain collapsed.
• Ayla, Jonah, and Sam emerged from the Containment Room, and Shen Yu told them a cover story about the Manager using Cogito to create the Little Knight.
• Shen Yu restored [Spider Nest] at 60% Attunement Rate and fashioned its core into the Red Eyes E.G.O., unlocking Thread Dance and Needle Throw.
• Shen Yu went to the Intelligence Department's Rest Room and reconnected with his light Doppelganger, where he saw an unforgettable smile.

Shen Yu began the Day 21 cycle and tried to persuade Netzach to control Enkephalin use in the Security Department. He assigned Terry to test Spider Bud, but Terry panicked inside its Containment Unit, leaving Shen Yu rushing to save him.

• Shen Yu reviewed the TT2 Protocol, started the Day 21 cycle, and asked Angela to summon Netzach.
• Shen Yu told Netzach to control Enkephalin use and offered to guarantee no deaths in the Security Department in exchange; Netzach agreed to try.
• Shen Yu reminded Netzach to submit the Joint Exercise report, then summoned Terry and prepared employee assignments and equipment.
• Shen Yu sent Terry to perform Instinct work on Spider Bud to test its energy output.
• Terry stepped on a spider, fell, and met Mother Spider's gaze, prompting Shen Yu to dash out and rescue him.

Shen Yu rescued Terry from the Mother Spider, received E.G.O. equipment and a warning from Harvey, then headed to the Control Department. He arrived to find Malkuth waiting with the assembled employees, and she questioned him about the Little Knight in his arms.

• Shen Yu used Thread Dance and a silk-wrapped scythe to pull Terry out of the Mother Spider's reach, but the Mother Spider hid inside a cocoon when she saw Shen Yu's flashlight.
• Harvey gave Shen Yu E.G.O. equipment and a Control Department armband, thanked him for saving Jonah and Ayla, and secretly passed him an Old Era novel.
• Shen Yu reviewed his department's Abnormalities and employee Ron's powerful equipment, then checked his own stats and resolved to train and improve them.
• Shen Yu arrived at the Control Department's assembly area, where Malkuth introduced him to the gathered employees and asked him to explain the Little Knight in his arms.

Shen Yu brought Little Knight to observe One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds, while X claimed responsibility for the assignment and reassured Angela. Little Knight attacked the old skeleton during the observation, triggering a burst of negative Enkephalin before Shen Yu fled with him.

• X told Malkuth that Shen Yu had been ordered to study the nonaggressive entity, while Angela discovered the company's surveillance recordings had been erased.
• X reassured Angela that Little Knight would not harm the company and instructed Shen Yu to communicate with the old skeleton.
• Shen Yu confessed his sins to One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds as it produced positive Enkephalin, while Little Knight circled it.
• Little Knight began dissolving near the skeleton, so Shen Yu used Dash to reach him and turn him away as the containment room was damaged and repaired.
• Little Knight touched the skeleton's forehead and struck it with a Nail, causing negative Enkephalin and blinding holy light to flood the containment room.
• Shen Yu escaped with Little Knight, and the skeleton's forehead healed as its holy light receded and it recited passages from Revelation.

Shen Yu considered how to improve his abilities and recruit help to deal with two dangerous abnormalities. He entered a newly opened containment unit and asked its occupant to join Lobotomy Corporation.

• X decided to act more abnormally after Angela warned him that his behavior could threaten the company and lead to dismissal.
• Shen Yu rested in the employee lounge while resenting the Little Knight for attacking Old Skull and noticing other employees' envy of his Frost Shard E.G.O.
• Shen Yu weighed ways to improve his health and considered working with Data Deleted because Hornet's Protection could protect him from fear.
• Wu Ke introduced himself to Shen Yu, claimed he kept employees from going bald, and offered to watch Shen Yu's back after hearing about his bad result with Old Skull.
• Shen Yu left the lounge with the Little Knight and entered the newly opened Central Headquarters containment unit, asking the abnormality inside to join Lobotomy Corporation.

Shen Yu recruited Little Red Riding Hood by exploiting her obsession with the Wolf and having Little Knight defeat her, then imposed treatment and containment terms. Little Red Riding Hood accepted, and Shen Yu arranged isolation equipment and counseling while concealing that the Wolf was nearby.

• Shen Yu offered to hire Little Red Riding Hood, but rejected her demand for 2,000 PE-BOX per day and used information about the Wolf to bargain.
• Little Knight attacked Little Red Riding Hood and defeated her with his shadow abilities, convincing her to accept Shen Yu’s offer of 200 PE-BOX per time cycle.
• Little Red Riding Hood agreed to join Shen Yu’s company on the condition that he tell her where the Wolf was.
• Shen Yu required Little Red Riding Hood to receive psychological treatment, remain in her containment chamber, and pay for isolation equipment and insurance through deductions from her wages.
• Shen Yu’s duplicate X had isolation equipment delivered to seal Little Red Riding Hood’s chamber, then contacted Hod about counseling an employee with serious psychological issues.

Shen Yu finished his daily duties while Wu Ke discovered that Ron, the company’s last Level V employee, had been mentally shattered by a forbidden Abnormality. As Wu Ke warned Shen Yu and urged him to leave, a meltdown began in that Abnormality’s containment unit, and Shen Yu found Ron’s psychological stress at 99.25%.

• Shen Yu completed his employee and manager duties, including visiting the Snow Queen and checking the facility’s Abnormalities.
• Wu Ke avoided O-03-89 and delivered documents to Security, where he saw Ron in a deranged state and learned that Ron was haunted by a fatal incident involving a forbidden Abnormality.
• Wu Ke asked Malkuth for leave, then warned Shen Yu that Ron could not safely manage the dangerous containment unit.
• An employee entering the Old Lady’s unit triggered a second round of meltdowns, including one in the Security Department’s [Data Deleted] unit.
• Shen Yu checked Ron’s employee file and discovered that Ron’s psychological stress had reached 99.25%.

Shen Yu entered [Data Deleted]'s containment room and summoned little Grimm, who treated the terrifying Abnormality as food. Little Grimm bit off and swallowed its "CENSORED" portion, leaving the encounter unresolved.

• Ron fought the Security Department employees to keep them from being selected for [Data Deleted]'s meltdown, but Shen Yu received the order to enter the containment room.
• Shen Yu ignored coworkers who mocked or warned him, took Little Knight, and headed to [Data Deleted]'s containment room.
• Wu Ke blocked a surveillance camera and placed a glowing object against a shelter's keyhole.
• Ron and the other employees froze when Shen Yu entered the containment room, carrying Little Knight and humming.
• Shen Yu saw [Data Deleted]'s grotesque mass of information, then asked Little Knight to summon Grimmchild.
• Little Grimm circled [Data Deleted], bit off its "CENSORED" portion, and swallowed it.