Chapter Summaries

An Ke fled from the monster called Buddha and warned He Zheng that the Gods were monsters, but his group was already facing Christ and the Goddess of War. As the survivors scattered and Lin Ya was killed, Huang Liang appeared and opened fire to cover He Zheng, Ye Lin, and Hu Jia’s escape.

• An Ke escaped Buddha by crawling into a maintenance tunnel, then received He Zheng’s message that the monsters had already arrived.
• He Zheng’s group saw Christ carrying a flayed corpse, and Lin Ya realized that the Gods and Species were the same kind of monster.
• He Zheng shouted for everyone to split up and run as the Goddess of War pursued them.
• The Goddess of War crushed Lin Ya and lunged for Hu Jia while He Zheng and Ye Lin fled.
• Huang Liang led two students in firing at the Goddess of War and shouted for He Zheng’s group to run toward him.

Huang Liang and Ye Lin’s group escaped the Goddess of War and reunited behind an alloy door, where they compared their different trials. Huang Liang revealed that his group had survived an encounter with God in a moving room because the monsters seemed afraid of a ring, leaving the group to investigate what it meant.

• Huang Liang used grenades and gunfire to cover the group’s retreat, while Ye Lin asked him to lead them to a ventilation duct.
• Huang Liang shot and killed pursuing Species with precise gunfire and a dagger, then led the survivors through a ceiling route to an alloy door.
• After the group caught its breath, Ye Lin insisted they focus on finding the answer to their task and asked Huang Liang what his group had faced.
• Huang Liang said his group’s first task was escaping a moving room, where they encountered God and lost most of their members.
• Huang Liang showed Ye Lin a dull ring and explained that the monsters seemed afraid to look at it, though he did not know why.

Ye Lin compared clues with Huang Liang’s group as the exam’s deadline approached, but neither team could identify where the supposed gods came from. When the system awakened eight more experimental subjects and changed the objective, Ye Lin noticed that water droplets and a swinging hose were moving unusually slowly and began to connect the base’s clues.

• Huang Liang told Ye Lin and He Zheng how his group found a glowing halo that stopped a Species, and described a mural showing a haloed figure carrying a case.
• Ye Lin learned Huang Liang’s group had no leader, and Huang Liang explained that they had seen the rooms rotate and failed to identify the gods’ origins.
• As the group argued over whether to flee or stay, Species gathered outside the laboratory and the system announced that eight experimental subjects had awakened, replacing the exam with a task to eliminate every Species and survive the subjects’ pursuit.
• Huang Liang urged everyone to fight their way out, but Ye Lin noticed the falling water and swinging hose were moving slowly and began piecing together the base’s clues.

Ye Lin revealed that the group was aboard a base floating in Venus’s atmosphere and concluded that damaging its airlock would kill the Species in the sulfuric acid clouds. He identified the gods in the murals as astronauts and said a spacesuit and the airlock held the key, then suggested humanity may have mistaken beings like them for gods.

• Ye Lin explained that sulfuric acid, extreme cold, air suction, the base’s structure, stale air, and rotating rooms showed they were in Venus’s atmosphere.
• Ye Lin proposed damaging the airlock to eject the Species into the deadly clouds, while acknowledging the group would need a way to survive.
• Ye Lin used a glowing ring and glass to recognize the mural’s god as an astronaut and inferred that spacesuited humans had inspired the Species’ worship.
• Ye Lin declared that they needed to find a spacesuit and open the airlock.
• After Hu Jia questioned how people could have forgotten where God came from, Ye Lin suggested humans had long seen astronauts and mistaken them for gods.

Ye Lin led the group toward the Repair Zone, forcing Wang Yuanyang to draw the Species away while An Ke prepared the way. They reached the sealed Equipment Room, but Ye Lin’s plan left Huang Liang furious and Wang Yuanyang’s fate uncertain.

• Ye Lin threatened Wang Yuanyang into activating the Hibernation Zone broadcast to lure the Species away, while Huang Liang accused Ye Lin of manipulating the group.
• Wang Yuanyang crawled through the ventilation duct toward the Hibernation Zone, and the others followed Ye Lin toward An Ke and the Repair Zone.
• An Ke went outside to check for the Buddha, was wounded by a Species, and warned the group that the monster was still nearby.
• He Zheng and Huang Liang fought off a Species as Ye Lin used anesthetic to slow the pursuers, and the group reached the Repair Zone.
• Ye Lin admitted he had never intended to wait for Wang Yuanyang, then took Huang Liang’s grenade and blew out the Equipment Room’s glass so they could get inside.
• Ye Lin put on a Spacesuit and tossed two more to Huang Liang, telling him he could still try to save Wang Yuanyang.

Ye Lin sent Huang Liang to rescue Wang Yuanyang, intending to use the rescue as a test of whether spacesuits let them kill the Species and earn points. As Huang Liang’s survival remained uncertain, Ye Lin entered an airtight chamber, privately wondering whether his suspicions about who was still human were correct.

• Huang Liang ignored Ye Lin’s taunt and ran off with spacesuits to rescue Wang Yuanyang, while Zhang Tie stayed behind and He Zheng showed little concern.
• An Ke questioned Ye Lin’s motives, and he said he wanted to test whether the Species feared spacesuits and proposed luring them in to kill them for points.
• An Ke realized Ye Lin had provoked Huang Liang so his rescue attempt would test whether they could safely fight the Species.
• He Zheng worried Huang Liang and Wang Yuanyang might die, but Ye Lin said letting Huang Liang go was necessary and predicted he would return with Wang Yuanyang.
• Ye Lin entered the first airtight chamber and privately questioned whether he had correctly guessed that some of them were no longer human.

Wang Yuanyang was cornered by Species until Huang Liang rescued him, and the two escaped after putting on spacesuits. Meanwhile, Ye Lin’s group began earning points by killing Species, but Hu Jia realized Ye Lin’s plan to destroy the airlock could crush the base and kill them all.

• Wang Yuanyang ran out of ammunition while surrounded by Species and called for Huang Liang to save him.
• Huang Liang reached Wang Yuanyang, shielded him from the Species, and helped him put on a spacesuit; the suited men drove the creatures back and fled as God watched them.
• Ye Lin’s group opened the door and found the Species retreating, allowing He Zheng and Zhang Tie to kill some and earn points.
• Ye Lin said destroying the airlock would earn at least a hundred points, so He Zheng encouraged Hu Jia to kill Species for points.
• Hu Jia warned Ye Lin that destroying the airlock would expose the base to Venus’s extreme pressure and crush it, killing everyone inside.

Ye Lin led the group into a hidden spaceship as the Species and Gods attacked, then activated its engines to blast through the Airlock and escape. The ship broke free of the base, but the final monitor footage left the group facing another unknown development.

• Ye Lin ordered everyone to kill the Species when Huang Liang arrived with the injured Wang Yuanyang and warned that a God carrying a monstrous baby was following them.
• The baby’s scream drove the Species into a frenzy, and the group retreated into the Maintenance Room as a God broke through its door.
• Ye Lin opened the Airlock to reveal a transport ship, and the group rushed aboard while Huang Liang used a grenade and drug vials to delay their pursuers.
• An Ke questioned how Ye Lin had known the ship was there, but the group was soon surrounded by Species and Gods attacking the hull.
• Ye Lin started the ship, and its engines burned the attackers before propelling it through the final Airlock door and into Venus’s atmosphere.

Ye Lin realized that a god had manipulated the group’s encounters to make them board the ship and identified Wang Yuanyang as its hidden monster. The creature revealed itself and attacked, leaving Ye Lin and the others fighting for survival aboard the collapsing ship.

• He Zheng celebrated the group’s apparent survival, while Ye Lin questioned why their encounters with monsters had seemed carefully limited and unusually convenient.
• Ye Lin connected the group’s forced route through the base to the Angel of Death painting and concluded that an intelligent monster had been steering them toward the ship.
• Ye Lin aimed his gun at Huang Liang, Wang Yuanyang, and Zhao Cheng, then threatened to destroy the control console unless the hidden monster revealed itself.
• Wang Yuanyang transformed into a Species, which killed Zhao Cheng and charged at Ye Lin.
• Ye Lin ordered everyone to open fire and charged beneath the attacking Species.

Ye Lin killed the special Species Alesi with a grenade hidden in his hand, but the fight left He Zheng and Huang Liang gravely injured. An Ke realized they were still alive and urged the group to return with them; after the candidates vanished, the ruined base’s remains stirred as its navigation system headed toward Earth.

• Ye Lin ordered Huang Liang to hold Alesi back while he secured himself near the hatch, and He Zheng’s gunfire failed to harm the monster.
• Huang Liang and Zhang Tie each risked their lives to restrain Alesi, while Hu Jia broke down in fear.
• Alesi pinned Ye Lin and bit off his arm, but Ye Lin revealed the grenade pin in his hand and detonated a grenade inside the monster, killing it.
• The system awarded Ye Lin points for killing Alesi and completing part of a hidden exam question, then announced that the exam had ended with six survivors.
• An Ke realized Huang Liang and He Zheng were still alive and told Ye Lin to bring them back; all six candidates returned to the Death Exam Space.
• After the candidates vanished, scraps of flesh writhed in the ruined base as its navigation system pointed toward Earth, while a gaze watched from Venus.

After the exam, Ye Lin confronted An Ke over her hidden experience and forced her to reveal what she knew, while the survivors recovered and checked their rewards. An Ke warned Ye Lin not to convert his Grade B rating into points and said she knew how to use it.

• The system repaired the injured examinees, and An Ke exposed herself by warning Ye Lin that Perfect Repair could leave them in debt and get them erased.
• Ye Lin deduced that An Ke had survived six exams and had obtained something important, then shot her leg and threatened to cripple her until she agreed to explain.
• Ye Lin healed An Ke and checked his rewards as He Zheng woke; Hu Jia told He Zheng that Ye Lin had killed the Species after the exam ended.
• He Zheng and Hu Jia discovered they had received hidden rewards, while Ye Lin said he had earned 302.1 points, exceeded the single-round cap, and received a Grade B rating.
• An Ke told Ye Lin that converting the Grade B rating into points would waste it and said she knew how to use it.

After returning to the Death Exam Space, Ye Lin learned about exam types, point exchanges, and the customizable rooms where survivors could create private worlds. He chose a bare room that reminded him of the organization that raised him, then opened the system’s redemption list, hoping to find something connected to the tomb.

• He Zheng explained Substitute Death Puppets and warned Ye Lin that their next exam could involve paranormal events, memes, or special events.
• He Zheng showed Ye Lin, Hu Jia, and Zhang Tie the rooms, which could be customized into spaces up to ten kilometers wide and stocked with created people.
• He Zheng introduced Yang Qiao, the person he had created as his girlfriend, and urged the others to choose someone who could give them a reason to keep living.
• Hu Jia chose Room 14, Zhang Tie chose Room 11, and Ye Lin chose Room 7, which he made into a dark, cramped isolation cell.
• Ye Lin recalled how the organization had raised him as a tool and sent him to enter the tomb, then summoned the system’s redemption list.

Ye Lin explored the exchange shop, learning how bloodline grades, ratings, and points governed access and power. He discovered that the system could also answer questions for points and asked who was buried at a specific location in the real world.

• Ye Lin examined Grade D bloodlines and learned that his rating granted access to options up to Grade B, while higher-grade bloodlines required far more points.
• Ye Lin inspected Grade B bloodlines, including the Cultivator path, and concluded that its long foundation-establishment period made it dangerous to choose without a suitable exam scenario.
• Ye Lin compared bloodlines with basic enhancements and realized that He Zheng had likely spent his points to improve his strength as much as possible.
• Ye Lin closed the exchange shop, then saw the system activate a search function and discovered it could answer information queries for points.
• Ye Lin asked the system who was buried at 31°2 north latitude, 104° east longitude.

Ye Lin's attempt to learn who lay in the Tomb failed because the answer required Grade A access, so he decided to pursue a higher rating. When An Ke revealed that her letter belonged to the only examinee who had ever escaped, Ye Lin paused to hear more.

• Ye Lin spent five points to query the Tomb's occupant, but the system blocked the Grade A information and refunded his points.
• Ye Lin asked An Ke how to obtain a Grade A rating, and she explained that ratings above Grade C required a special-type exam.
• An Ke proposed working with Ye Lin in exchange for sharing her secret, but Ye Lin demanded to hear it before deciding whether to cooperate.
• An Ke said her letter contained the truth about the death exam, but Ye Lin dismissed it and said he only cared about surviving and escaping.
• As Ye Lin prepared to send An Ke away, she revealed that the letter's owner was the only examinee who had ever escaped.

An Ke told Ye Lin that the sole person to escape the Death Exam had left multiple letters and items, including something that helped her survive. Ye Lin dismissed the clues as a likely trap, but An Ke suggested the escapee may have killed himself after learning the truth, which made Ye Lin reconsider.

• An Ke explained that the system had announced someone’s escape and said she survived by using something the escapee left behind.
• Ye Lin inferred that the escapee had left multiple letters and items that could reveal the Death Exam’s truth and help someone follow his path.
• An Ke admitted there were more letters and items, offering them to Ye Lin in exchange for protection and help surviving future exams.
• Ye Lin said he was uninterested, called the story clichéd, and suspected the clues were a trap.
• An Ke asked whether the escapee might have killed himself after learning the truth, and Ye Lin said that made things interesting.

Ye Lin and An Ke agreed to retrieve the dead examinee’s remaining letter and belongings, while An Ke explained the use of Ye Lin’s Grade B rating. She revealed that she knew of two unusually powerful Grade C bloodlines with severe individual side effects that could be fused and might suit him.

• Ye Lin connected the dead examinee’s suicide to the unanswered truth of the system, and An Ke said she wanted to find the answer so they would not repeat his mistake.
• An Ke showed Ye Lin a key that could force them into an extra exam to find the third letter and the examinee’s belongings, and they agreed to take a regular exam first.
• An Ke explained that a Grade B rating could fuse two bloodlines, and that Ye Lin could currently afford two Grade C bloodlines instead of one Grade B bloodline.
• An Ke said she knew of two Grade C bloodlines that could rival Grade B, had high potential, and carried severe side effects when used alone, making them seem suited to Ye Lin.

Ye Lin considered An Ke’s recommendation to combine the Tyrant Gene with the Observer bloodline, which could balance overwhelming strength with protection from losing control and paranormal threats. An Ke recounted how the Mirror Ghost killed her and her companions, revealing that she saw her own headless body reflected in another person’s eyes.

• An Ke explained that the Tyrant Gene offered exceptional physical power but could make its user berserk, while the Observer bloodline could help control it and improve perception.
• Ye Lin questioned why he should choose the Grade C combination instead of the complete Tyrant, and An Ke explained the system’s grade restrictions and bonus-point advantages.
• An Ke warned that paranormal exams could break people with terror and said that countermeasures only delayed ghosts; she also admitted her group had been wiped out in the seventh exam.
• Ye Lin asked how An Ke had died, and she recalled that the Mirror Ghost killed six members of her group before she and one companion hid in a wardrobe and found a letter.
• An Ke remembered that she saw her own headless body when she met her companion’s eyes, because their eyes were mirrors.

Ye Lin gave the wounded An Ke 0.1 points for treatment, then joined He Zheng and the others for a meal in his recreated home. As the group discussed future enhancements, Huang Liang asked to speak with Ye Lin about a decision that could affect everyone.

• An Ke revealed that she had left the bullet in her leg because she lacked points for treatment, and Ye Lin transferred her 0.1 points.
• He Zheng saw An Ke struggling and jokingly assumed she and Ye Lin had hooked up, prompting her to yell at him.
• He Zheng hosted Ye Lin, An Ke, Huang Liang, Hu Jia, and Zhang Tie for a meal with Yang Qiao in his recreated apartment.
• Hu Jia thanked the group for helping him survive, and Huang Liang promised to protect everyone, including Ye Lin.
• He Zheng suggested that the team choose enhancements according to their roles, and Huang Liang asked to discuss an urgent matter with Ye Lin after dinner.

Huang Liang begged Ye Lin to spend points on a Communication Device so he could tell the outside world that people were alive in the Death Exam, but Ye Lin refused. As their three-day break ended, the group gathered to learn the second exam’s type, which the system began announcing.

• Huang Liang showed Ye Lin a Communication Device that cost 120 points and asked him to lend points so they could contact the outside world.
• Ye Lin refused, arguing that spending their points could endanger their survival and that the call offered him no benefit.
• Huang Liang described the mass disappearances, the collapse of society, and the deaths of people sent into the schools to investigate, pleading with Ye Lin to help.
• Ye Lin left, saying he understood Huang Liang’s pain but asking what it had to do with him; Huang Liang shouted after him, and Ye Lin walked away without changing his mind.
• On the final day of the break, Ye Lin and the others gathered as the vortex accelerated, and the system began announcing the type of the second exam.

The group planned for their next exam, a modern-era zombie outbreak, and An Ke urged them to prioritize survival tools over firearms. They settled on roles and enhancements, and He Zheng redeemed the C-rank Odin Warrior bloodline before Ye Lin approached the vortex for his own enhancement.

• He Zheng celebrated the zombie survival exam and proposed spending their points on heavy weapons, but An Ke warned that technology could become useless in later exams.
• An Ke recommended flight packs and Antidotes, asked Ye Lin to lend her ten points, and volunteered to handle logistics; Ye Lin agreed and also assigned Hu Jia to logistics.
• The group divided their roles, with He Zheng and Zhang Tie focused on melee combat, Huang Liang on ranged support, and Hu Jia on logistics.
• He Zheng redeemed the C-rank Odin Warrior bloodline, gaining greater strength, endurance, and two axes, then thanked Ye Lin and pledged to follow his lead.
• Ye Lin asked He Zheng to help test his enhancement and walked toward the vortex.