Chapter Summaries

Xu Duoduo and her teammates reunited with Mu Enya’s team and agreed to share a meal before their upcoming missions. Mu Enya opened up about accepting her fallen teammates’ deaths, and Qin Luo reassured Xu Duoduo that 3A would stay together.

• Da Qiao recorded observations about the Man-Eating Flower Babies, and Chen Xiaofei was bitten after teasing one but recovered when Da Qiao treated him.
• Wang Weihu invited everyone to his place for dinner, but Mu Enya arrived and invited them to her home for hot pot instead.
• Mu Enya hugged Xu Duoduo, while Qin Luo pulled Xu Duoduo back after a minute and held her protectively.
• Mu Enya privately told Xu Duoduo that she had made peace with her teammates’ deaths and urged them both to keep living.
• Qin Luo comforted Xu Duoduo and promised that everyone in 3A would be fine and no one would be lost.

At a gathering, Xiao Qiao warned Qin Luo and the others that a world-wide period of darkness called Total Blackout Day was approaching, and urged them to prepare and gather supplies. Qin Luo responded by proposing a flying light to keep 3A together on missions, and Xiao Qiao enthusiastically considered the idea.

• Xiao Qiao arrived at Da Qiao's gathering, then joined the conversation about power stones, overseas communications, and the base's preparations.
• Xiao Qiao revealed that Headquarters had suppressed the Prophet's prediction of Total Blackout Day, when the world would be plunged into darkness for an unknown duration, possibly in recurring cycles.
• Qin Luo, Chen Xiaofei, Bai Shu, Wang Weihu, and the others reacted with alarm as Xiao Qiao urged them to collect supplies and prepare to defend the base.
• Qin Luo asked Xiao Qiao to make a flying, powerful light so 3A could stay together on missions, especially to help their zombie companion see in the dark.
• Xiao Qiao became excited by Qin Luo's proposal and considered building a flying ship that could illuminate the area overhead.

3A and Mu Enya’s squad shared a lively gathering, where the teams relaxed and learned more about Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao. After Xu Duoduo downed another glass, Qin Luo rushed to carry her away, fearing what she might do while drunk.

• Qin Luo insisted Xu Duoduo would stay with 3A, and their teammates teased him for being the one who could not bear to be apart from her.
• Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu fought childishly on the floor while Wang Weihu tried to reassure Zhang Chi and the other new teammates.
• Xiao Qiao revealed that she often visited Da Qiao to mooch food, and the group saw the sisters’ affection beneath their research-focused reputations.
• Mu Enya raised a toast to everyone’s courage, the fallen, and a better future for humanity, and the guests raised their glasses together.
• Xu Duoduo downed another glass, so Qin Luo carried her away in a panic while the others joked that he was in trouble.

After a three-day rest at the base, Xu Duoduo continued developing her Rubik’s Cube Space and feeding her teammates, whose appetites had surged after their injections. As the team prepared to leave on a mission, Qin Luo tried to make peace with the still-angry Xu Duoduo by offering her daily time to touch his tail.

• Xiao Qiao dragged the dazed Da Qiao away, while Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei helped the drunken Wang Weihu home and Zhang Chi settled the remaining guests.
• Xu Duoduo observed the growing plants and marine life in her Rubik’s Cube Space and realized she still could not enter it or store large living creatures.
• During their three days at the base, Qin Luo and the other three men developed enormous appetites after receiving their injections, and Xu Duoduo prepared lavish meals for them.
• Bai Shu, Wang Weihu, and Qin Luo discussed visiting the grasslands or City M, while Qin Luo asked Xu Duoduo for congee and she gave him mushroom and lean pork congee instead.
• As the team departed on a mission, Qin Luo defended his teasing and spanking of Xu Duoduo while she was drunk and offered to let her touch his tail for three minutes each day.
• Xu Duoduo brightened at the offer and asked whether she could touch Qin Luo’s tail every day for three minutes.

Qin Luo and his squad set out for City E to destroy the rapidly evolving mutant robots and recover power stones. As the vehicle drove through worsening snow, someone from the Cheetah Squad spotted a person waving ahead and asked whether they should stop.

• Qin Luo coaxed Xu Duoduo into forgiving him, and Wang Weihu gathered the squad to leave.
• Bai Shu explained that City E's mutant robots were multiplying and leveling up, so the mission was to destroy them, salvage them, and retrieve power stones.
• The squad passed the H City Survivor Base checkpoints and drove into the storm toward City E.
• Xu Duoduo handed out snacks, while Wang Weihu and Bai Shu scolded Chen Xiaofei for his irritating behavior.
• Qin Luo studied City E's information with Xu Duoduo and stayed close to her as the vehicle continued through worsening snow.
• A Cheetah Squad member reported seeing someone waving ahead and asked the teams whether they should stop.

The squads encountered and defeated a man-faced mutant bear on their way to City E, then rested before entering the scrap-metal-filled city to begin their sweep. Wang Weihu’s team started fighting a swarm of mutant robot vacuums that could fire lasers.

• Wang Weihu warned the squads not to stop when the Cheetah Squad spotted a figure in the blizzard, and the Cheetah Squad and White Dove Squad safely passed the upright black bear.
• Qin Luo frightened the younger squads with a story about man-faced bears, while the Rose Squad defeated the two-star mutant bear.
• The squads rested in their vehicles, then reached City E and divided into nearby routes to support one another.
• Xu Duoduo changed into her Champagne Lolita dress set, and Qin Luo led 3A into the city as the squads reported their positions and began the sweep.
• Wang Weihu engaged a swarm of mutant robot vacuums, and Chen Xiaofei used Tornado to overturn many of them as they fired lasers.

3A fought through an endless wave of mutant robots on the outskirts of City E, uncovering mechanical mutant cores and salvage as they advanced. Bai Shu suspected factories were producing the robots to keep the squads out of the city, while the four-star mutant robot remained unaccounted for.

• Bai Shu, Wang Weihu, Chen Xiaofei, Qin Luo, and Xu Duoduo fought the street-sweeping robots, and Wang Weihu and Chen Xiaofei collected transparent mechanical mutant cores.
• Nearby squads arrived, saw 3A overwhelm the robots, and left while grumbling about the team's strength and gossiping about Qin Luo and Xu Duoduo.
• More robots armed with lasers and metal projectiles attacked, but 3A continued fighting through the waves as Qin Luo warned the team to watch for minibosses and the main boss.
• Qin Luo called for the team to collect the mechanical wreckage, packed by Wang Weihu and Chen Xiaofei, and massaged Xu Duoduo's tired arms.
• Bai Shu told Qin Luo that factories around City E might be mass-producing robots to block their advance and noted that the four-star mutant robot had yet to appear.

Qin Luo led Team 3A and the Rose, Cheetah, and White Dove Squads through City E to find the suspected Robot Factory and its four-star mutant robot. They reached the area near the City Center, leaving the other squads stunned by their rapid advance.

• Bai Shu suspected the robots' lair was a factory in City E, so Qin Luo called three squads and organized them into a temporary Special Operations Group.
• The four squads pushed through the robot hordes, with Chen Xiaofei scouting ahead, Wang Weihu clearing a path, and Xu Duoduo collecting mutant cores and mechanical parts.
• The Cheetah and White Dove Squads realized they could shove robots aside instead of destroying them, while the Rose Squad covered the right flank.
• The squads advanced efficiently toward the City Center, and the other teams heard over the shared channel that they were already near the suspected Robot Factory.

Chen Xiaofei found a robot factory in City E, and Qin Luo arrived with the others to confront its Mechanical Dogs. After displaying his newly reached Tier Five power, Qin Luo entered the factory alone while Xu Duoduo and the squad collected cores and wreckage outside.

• Chen Xiaofei located a Robot Processing Factory near the City Center and reported its coordinates to Qin Luo and the others.
• Xu Duoduo spotted a horde of Mechanical Hounds and told Qin Luo she wanted their Two-Star Mutant Cores, prompting him to get jealous before she kissed him.
• Qin Luo unleashed his Tier Five mutant ability and destroyed a huge army of Mechanical Dogs, leaving the Brave Realm Squad stunned and frizzed by the residual electricity.
• Qin Luo told Chen Xiaofei and the others to guard Xu Duoduo and collect the cores and wreckage while he went into the factory to test his new power.
• Xu Duoduo and Chen Xiaofei began collecting the Two-Star Mutant Cores and Mechanical Dog wreckage from the vast field Qin Luo had blasted apart.

Qin Luo broke through to the Fifth Stage while destroying a Robot Factory, stopping the nearby stream of Little Robots and leaving a huge haul of Two-Star Mechanical Mutant Cores. His squad rested after collecting cores, while the Four-Star Mechanical Monster remained a threat.

• Xu Duoduo, Chen Xiaofei, Wang Weihu, and Bai Shu collected the countless Two-Star Mechanical Mutant Cores scattered outside the factory as Qin Luo fought inside.
• The Cheetah Squad and White Dove Squad reported that their areas were clear, and Wang Weihu told them to check nearby buildings for supplies.
• Mu Mei asked Wang Weihu whether Qin Luo had broken through, and he confirmed it while reassuring her that everything was fine.
• Qin Luo returned after destroying the factory, explained that the fight had stabilized his Fifth-Stage Mutant Ability, and reviewed how he had used his strength.
• Xu Duoduo fell asleep from exhaustion, and Qin Luo kissed her cheek before lying beside her and falling asleep with her in his arms.
• Wang Weihu and Bai Shu arranged the night watch while Chen Xiaofei volunteered to collect the remaining cores the next morning; other squads had also destroyed five Robot Factories, but the Four-Star Mechanical Monster remained at large.

A giant mechanical behemoth attacked the squads near City E, and 3A and other teams rushed to fight it and rescue the wounded. As the battle continued, Jiang An'an suspected the behemoth might not be the only monster tied to the Artisan Department's power stone mission.

• The mechanical behemoth's attack woke the squads, and Qin Luo told the Cheetah and White Dove Squads to guard the perimeter while 3A headed for the battlefield.
• Chen Xiaofei spotted the enormous tiger-like mechanical creature, which fired powerful lasers at him and Bai Shu.
• The behemoth and swarms of three-star mechanical beasts cornered several squads, leaving fighters dead and wounded before reinforcements arrived.
• The 3A, Four Continents, Rose, Fearless, Cheetah, and White Dove Squads reached the battlefield as logistics teams began evacuating and treating the wounded.
• Jiang An'an supplied stretchers and medical equipment, then told Han Hang she suspected the mechanical behemoth might not be the robot sought in the power stone mission.

Xu Duoduo and the seven squads defeated a late four-star Mechanical Behemoth, then she learned that the Four Continents Team were 3A’s longtime senior mentors. After the squads split up to search City E, Qin Luo carried Xu Duoduo toward the Robot Factory to collect mutant cores.

• Xu Duoduo targeted the Mechanical Behemoth’s joints, and the squads followed Cao Wenzhou’s commands to bring it down together.
• The Four Continents Team approached 3A, and Cao Wenzhou explained that his team had mentored Qin Luo and the others before the apocalypse.
• The Four Continents Team praised 3A’s progress, especially Qin Luo’s tier-five mutant ability, before leaving for their patrol area.
• The squads divided City E into areas to search for remaining robots and mutated mechanical monsters.
• Qin Luo scooped up Xu Duoduo and ran toward the Robot Factory to collect mutant cores.

3A completed its mission in City E, destroyed the mechanical threat, and gathered a huge haul of mutant cores and materials. The exhausted squad returned to base the next morning, where Du Chunjiang praised their supplies and learned how little they had slept.

• Xu Duoduo spent the day gathering mutant cores at the Robot Factory until she collapsed, and Qin Luo carried her while scolding her.
• Wang Weihu, Bai Shu, and Chen Xiaofei returned from patrol and told Qin Luo that the Four-Star mechanical monster was the same creature that could transform into a humanoid form.
• 3A decided not to collect the power stones north of City E because headquarters was watching closely and the base needed them for Total Blackout Day.
• Wang Weihu drove the squad out of City E, and the team took turns driving through the night while the others slept.
• 3A arrived at base the next morning, turned in their supplies to Du Chunjiang, and heard that the Artisan Department was delighted with the metal materials they brought back.

After returning to H City Base with their supplies, Qin Luo and Xu Duoduo met Le Tianyi, who had feared Xu Duoduo was dead after hearing about losses in a recent operation. Le Tianyi reassured them that he was all right, shared news of his performance victory, and returned to work.

• Qin Luo and Xu Duoduo returned to H City Base and noticed its new streetlights, lighthouse, faster subway, and lush greenery.
• Le Tianyi recognized them at the residential complex and anxiously asked whether Xu Duoduo had been hurt or killed.
• Le Tianyi told Qin Luo and Xu Duoduo that many Ability Users had died in an operation in J City and that the base had established a Memorial Cemetery.
• Qin Luo thanked Le Tianyi for worrying about Xu Duoduo, and Le Tianyi gave them a sweet apple from the Mutated Apple Tree.
• Xu Duoduo gave Le Tianyi chocolate and asked about his New Year's Day performance; Le Tianyi said he and Brother Ji had won first place and donated the prize money to the Childcare Center.

Xu Duoduo went home with Qin Luo, then read about the deadly Lizard People attack in J City before interrupting Qin Luo in the bath. The two kissed and ended up in the bathtub together.

• Qin Luo carried Xu Duoduo to his apartment, and Chen Xiaofei, Bai Shu, and Wang Weihu decided not to interrupt them with dinner.
• Qin Luo gave Xu Duoduo her second injection, then bathed her and washed her hair.
• Xu Duoduo read that 132 ability users had died, fifty-two had been rescued, and over two thousand Mutated Lizard People had been exterminated in J City.
• Xu Duoduo entered the bathroom and caught Qin Luo in an embarrassing moment as he dried off.
• Qin Luo pulled Xu Duoduo into the bathtub, and they kissed.

After recovering from their second injection, 3A celebrated their mission earnings, discussed upgrades, and prepared food together. As they ended on the grim losses in City J, they worried that Headquarters had underestimated the cunning lizardmen.

• Bai Shu reported that 3A had earned 183.8 million points from the Mechanical Behemoth mission, along with valuable mutant cores.
• Qin Luo told Xu Duoduo to eat the Three-Star cores rather than save them, and the rest of 3A supported him.
• The team reviewed how their strength had increased after upgrading and made steamed buns together to stock up for the road.
• Wang Weihu, Bai Shu, and Chen Xiaofei discussed the 132 ability users killed in City J and warned that the lizardmen were more dangerous than their ratings suggested.

3A spent the day stockpiling food while Xu Duoduo felt embarrassed about forgetting her dough mixer, and her teammates tried to reassure her. Miao Miao visited to assess the team’s mental health and found them cooking together again.

• Qin Luo told the team to rest and finish their injections while they waited for the next mission.
• Wang Weihu and Chen Xiaofei reminded Xu Duoduo that she had a dough mixer, and she quietly took it out after realizing she had forgotten it.
• Qin Luo, Bai Shu, Chen Xiaofei, and Wang Weihu comforted Xu Duoduo, who assured Wang Weihu that he had done nothing wrong.
• Xu Duoduo assigned the team tasks, and 3A spent the day making buns and stockpiling food.
• Miao Miao visited Qin Luo’s home to assess the team’s mental health, and everyone chose that they maintained an optimistic outlook for humanity’s future.

Miao Miao left after visiting 3A, and the team’s domestic teasing was interrupted when meteorites began falling across the base. As 3A returned home, Qin Luo asked Xu Duoduo to marry him, and she accepted.

• Miao Miao declined 3A’s invitation to stay for a meal and left after wishing them happiness, prompting Bai Shu to joke that they were a family.
• Wang Weihu, Chen Xiaofei, and Bai Shu bickered while Qin Luo and Xu Duoduo prepared buns.
• An impact shook the base, and a broadcast warned citizens to remain indoors because meteorites were falling.
• Qin Luo and the others went to the rooftop, where they watched meteorites streak across the sky and saw missiles intercept some of them.
• Qin Luo covered Xu Duoduo’s eyes and led her back inside as the Ability Users reassured one another that their efforts still mattered.
• Qin Luo asked Xu Duoduo to marry him, and she agreed.

As meteorites fell and daylight failed to return, Qin Luo and his companions realized the Dark Age’s Total Blackout Day had begun. After the base suspended outside missions and sent cleanup teams out, the group rested, and Qin Luo and Xu Duoduo shared an intimate moment at home.

• Chen Xiaofei, Bai Shu, and Wang Weihu spent the night at Qin Luo’s home making and stockpiling food while meteorites struck outside.
• At ten in the morning, they realized the sky was still completely dark and read panicked Forum posts about the endless night and falling meteorites.
• Qin Luo said Total Blackout Day had likely begun early, and the group accepted that the Dark Age had started.
• After the meteorites stopped, the base ordered ordinary people indoors, suspended outside missions for ability users, and sent mutated people on cleanup missions.
• The group slept until the afternoon, and Xu Duoduo stored the buns she had cooked before going to bed.
• Qin Luo’s tail appeared as he prepared to leave, and Xu Duoduo hugged it; Qin Luo lifted her against the wall and kissed her.

As Total Blackout Day began, 3A discussed the worsening food shortage and Xu Duoduo revealed the abilities and supplies of her Rubik's Cube Space. The group marveled at its scale and powers, while Qin Luo leaned on Xu Duoduo for support.

• 3A checked the Forum and learned that rescue efforts were nearly complete, transport links between bases were being planned, and Headquarters was focused on sustaining the population during Total Blackout Day.
• Bai Shu told the group that plant-type ability users were growing potatoes and sweet potatoes, but the experimental fields could not yet produce enough food for everyone.
• Xu Duoduo described her stocked Rubik's Cube Space, including stored food, thriving crops, and a water source, and drew its layout for 3A.
• Qin Luo, Wang Weihu, Chen Xiaofei, and Bai Shu checked that the apartment was secure before examining Xu Duoduo's drawing.
• Bai Shu explained that Xu Duoduo's space could grow crops, raise animals, and attack, making it the only known offensive spatial ability.
• Qin Luo rested his head against Xu Duoduo and asked her to support him, and she agreed as Chen Xiaofei and the others reacted with embarrassment.