Chapter Summaries

Su Ming and the others watched the elf contestants explore the dark spaceship while betting on who would die first. Ambush Bug promoted the quiz as a strange, long-tailed monster appeared on camera.

• Su Ming declined to join the bet, while Ciri, Adjutant, Ambush Bug, and the professor chose which contestant they thought would die first.
• Su Ming recognized the professor as a Gotham University lecturer and learned he had been Harleen Quinzel’s classmate and repeatedly discharged from Arkham.
• Su Ming returned the broadcast to Ambush Bug and asked him to comment on the elves’ progress through the spaceship.
• Ambush Bug described the dark ship and urged viewers to call the quiz hotline as the elves continued exploring with their Dark Vision.
• A gaunt monster with a long tail and smooth, elongated head flashed past the camera.

The elves split up to explore the wreck, and Elf Number One found gruesome remains while other contestants made discoveries in different parts of the ship. Elf Number Four descended beneath the buried section and crawled into strange, fishy-smelling soil.

• The elves entered the dark corridors separately as their audience worried that failure would bring their race a severe punishment.
• Elf Number One found corroded remains and torn clothing, then grabbed a rifle as something rustled in the darkness; the lurking creature withdrew.
• Elf Number Five built a fire in a storage compartment, while Elf Number Three found identical humanoids inside Life Pods but could not operate them.
• Elf Number Two continued toward the distant stern as the attention shifted to Elf Number Four descending beneath the buried part of the spaceship.
• Elf Number Four slid down an elevator cable, crawled out of the damaged shaft, and noticed that the soil smelled fishy.

Elf Number Four explored the spacecraft’s lowest level and found a room filled with strange eggs that the city’s viewers mistook for food. As he turned to inspect another egg, a creature burst out and attached itself to his face.

• Elf Number Four followed the soil-smelling corridors into a room packed with egg-shaped objects.
• Ciri recognized the objects as Alien eggs, while the Adjutant revealed that she had placed the Aliens there.
• Elf Number Four kicked one egg open and found it hollow, with dried mucus inside.
• Number Four and the elf viewers believed the eggs could provide food and water.
• A dark creature sprang from a nearby egg and slapped itself onto Number Four’s face.

Number Four tore a Facehugger off his face, unaware that it had already implanted an Alien larva inside him. As the viewers watched the deadly contest continue, Adjutant revealed that the Aliens had chosen all the elf contestants as hosts and were anticipating their next move.

• Ambush Bug described Number Four’s struggle against the Facehugger while Su Ming and Ciri joked about the Alien that would soon emerge from him.
• Number Four ripped the Facehugger off, crushed it with a rock, and took its body to cook, believing it was edible prey.
• Su Ming told Ciri he intended to enjoy the Wild Hunt’s suffering, while Ambush Bug and the professor kept the death-betting contest open.
• Adjutant predicted Number Four would die first and explained that the Aliens had implanted larvae in all the elf contestants and were playing along with their plans.

Elf Number Four returned to the camp with a dead Facehugger, and the hungry contestants roasted it over the fire. Su Ming conjured octopuses while explaining that the Aliens were letting the Elves take the bait so they would seek out more eggs and hosts.

• Elf Number Four returned from exploring with a dead Facehugger, while the other Elves reported finding dead animals, sealed tanks of humans, or nothing of note.
• Number Four skewered the Facehugger on a rifle and roasted it, convincing the hungry Elves to watch as its meat sizzled.
• Su Ming conjured octopuses for himself and had the Adjutant prepare them after seeing the Elves cook the Facehugger.
• Ciri compared the octopus to Crab Spiders from her homeland while Su Ming said the Elves would seek more Facehuggers because one would not feed them all.
• Su Ming explained that the Aliens were deliberately letting the Elves return so they would steal eggs and provide hosts for the Alien offspring.

Su Ming watched the Elves fall into an Alien trap while chatting with Ambush Bug and the Adjutant during a live broadcast. The Adjutant received the signed calendar prize, which Su Ming accepted for himself, as the four Elves were left parasitized in the ship’s hold.

• Elf Number Four led the group to the ship’s lower hold to collect Alien eggs, leaving Elf Number Five at the campfire.
• The four Elves entered the egg plaza, where Facehuggers burst from the eggs and parasitized them after they dismissed the creatures as harmless.
• The Adjutant demanded her prize, and Ambush Bug left briefly to fetch a calendar signed by the Channel 52 hosts.
• Ambush Bug gave the calendar to the Adjutant, who passed it to Sheriff, and Su Ming accepted it with satisfaction.

Su Ming and Ambush Bug discussed turning the National Destiny Game into a show for aliens, using food as a reward, while Elf Number Four began to suffer the effects of an Alien larva. The four larvae burst from their hosts and attacked Elf Number Five in the cargo hold.

• Su Ming pitched selling the game’s rights to Channel 52 and suggested recruiting poor alien civilizations with food as the prize.
• Ambush Bug agreed the idea could work, and Su Ming offered to sell him the planet being used as the game venue.
• Su Ming and his companions watched Elf Number Four stop eating and complain that he felt unwell.
• Elf Number Four coughed up blood, and an Alien burst from his chest.
• Aliens burst from the chests of the other three elves, then attacked Elf Number Five as the campfire went out.

Su Ming unleashed hundreds of thousands of adult Aliens on the elven capital after the players failed, and Ciri watched the ensuing slaughter as she understood how thoroughly he had manipulated the elves. Ciri decided to face Eredin, while Su Ming expected the Aliens to force the Wild Hunt’s king out of the royal palace.

• A voice announced the players’ failure and deployed adult Aliens throughout the city to kill the elves and harvest them for protein.
• Su Ming watched the Aliens slaughter the elves and explained to Ciri that he had deliberately tested and misled them before launching the full assault.
• Ciri realized Su Ming could have destroyed the elves earlier and had instead played with them, then said she wanted to find Eredin.
• Su Ming told Ciri to wait because the Aliens would drive Eredin from the palace, and he prepared to have them tear it down if Eredin refused to emerge.

Su Ming watched the Aliens overrun the Elf palace and capture Eredin, while the Adjutant reported on events across other worlds. He gave Ciri her sword and sent her to end Eredin’s life, freeing her at last.

• Su Ming asked the Adjutant for updates on Batwoman, Joker, Detective Chimp, and Constantine, then checked several locations across the worlds.
• The Aliens overwhelmed Eredin with coordinated attacks, crippled him, and dragged him to the square outside the palace.
• The Elves failed to mount an organized defense after Eredin was captured, and the Aliens continued hunting them.
• Su Ming handed Ciri her sword and told her to end Eredin and claim her freedom.
• Ciri nodded as the flying carpet descended, and she prepared to face Eredin.

Ciri avenged herself by killing Eredin, and Su Ming left her with Geralt as the White Frost consumed their universe. Back in Sepulk, Su Ming took Strangle to the Star Wars universe to ask Dr. Aphra about anything that might help the Symbiote evolve.

• Ciri beheaded Eredin and grieved over his death while Su Ming ordered the Aliens to recover the remains.
• Su Ming and Ciri left the doomed universe, and Ciri returned to Geralt while the White Frost buried the city and planet.
• Su Ming accompanied Ambush Bug to Channel 52 to sign a contract, then returned to Sepulk with Adjutant.
• Strangle said he wanted something that could help him evolve, so Su Ming decided to ask Dr. Aphra for help.
• Su Ming teleported to the Star Wars universe and found Dr. Aphra studying data from an iceberg.

Su Ming found Aphra on Hoth, where she was searching for treasure beneath a glacier. After learning that her droids and Krrsantan had left her, he asked to join the hunt, but Aphra insisted the treasure was hers alone.

• Su Ming startled Aphra in a cave on Hoth and asked whether she had reunited the Je'daii Master with his missing lover.
• Aphra said BT and Zero Three had become independent and left to work as space Mercenaries, while Krrsantan had collected his debt and departed.
• Aphra introduced her new engineering assistant droid ZT-233 and explained that her ship was keeping Hoth's hostile natives occupied.
• Aphra said the treasure lay behind thick ice but refused to reveal what she was seeking or share any proceeds.
• Su Ming said he wanted to enjoy the hunt and teased Aphra with a crocodile toy made from his Power Ring.

Aphra explained that she had found a Je'daii burial hall on Hawthorne and wanted to retrieve valuable artifacts. Su Ming used a new Force technique to open a passage through the ice, and they began cutting through the tomb door, where a strange fishy smell warned that something might be wrong.

• Aphra told Su Ming how she traced ancient records to a Je'daii burial hall on Hawthorne and planned to take valuable items before reporting the site to the Imperial Archaeological Association.
• Su Ming agreed to help Aphra and taught her about Force Resonance as he used it to create a passage through the ice.
• Aphra declined to learn the technique and hurried through the passage to the tomb door, with Su Ming following.
• Aphra and Su Ming cut into the stone door with their Lightsabers, and Su Ming warned her that the strange fishy smell suggested danger.

Su Ming and Aphra explored a Je'daii tomb that Su Ming realized was inside a giant creature, and he warned Aphra that enemies might have altered the ruins. As they continued through the creature's throat, Su Ming sensed an unidentified many-legged being approaching.

• Su Ming fed Strangle a piece of the chamber wall and learned that the material was organic.
• Su Ming identified the tomb as a giant creature's mouth, while Aphra checked her clues and confirmed they had led her to this place.
• Su Ming warned Aphra that his enemies could alter reality and told her to stay behind him if they appeared.
• Aphra accepted the warning, then smoked and drank with Su Ming and began imagining how to sell the giant creature to the Collector.
• Su Ming sensed something enter his range and waited in the corridor as Strangle detected many-legged footsteps approaching.

Su Ming confronted a strange seven-fingered hand that claimed it wanted to discuss the universe, the future, destiny, and his path. He destroyed its physical form, but the power behind it remained unknown.

• A huge, seven-fingered hand emerged in the tunnel, and Aphra screamed before Strangle covered her mouth.
• Su Ming questioned the hand about who had sent it, but it spoke cryptically and warned him that he was on the wrong path.
• Su Ming attacked with the Black Sun and Lightsaber, overcoming the hand’s attempt to stretch the space between them.
• The hand burned into sparks and vanished as Su Ming pinned it to the floor, leaving Strangle with only a mouthful of ash.
• Su Ming put away his weapon and considered what the hand’s behavior had revealed.

After killing Strange Hand, Su Ming and Aphra found themselves in the Je'daii Ancient Tomb, where he explained that the creature had been a Node Creature altering reality. Aphra prepared to loot the tomb while Su Ming stayed alert for the next crisis.

• Strange Hand's death caused the altered surroundings to fade, revealing the ancient tomb and its stone coffin.
• Su Ming explained how the Node Creature had overwritten reality, and he gave the confused Aphra a Chocolate Frog to help her recover.
• Aphra worried that the monster might target her later, but Su Ming assured her he could resurrect her if necessary.
• Su Ming lit a candle and urged Aphra to open the coffin and explore the hundreds of other tombs.

Su Ming waited with Aphra in the tomb while she searched its burial chambers, then visited Howard at Stark Industries in London. Howard described his repeated clashes with Tony and how he had left 40K Earth with Maria to run Stark Industries in Hermione Granger's world.

• Su Ming played music while Aphra pried open coffins and searched the tomb, but the enemy behind the Strange Hand made no further move.
• Aphra complained about the repeated Korean song, so Su Ming asked the Adjutant to choose instrumental music; it played a funeral procession that unsettled him.
• Su Ming later met Howard at Stark Industries headquarters in London, where Howard joked about helping him fake his death again to trick Steve.
• Howard explained that he and Tony had argued constantly over Tony's choices, his fiancée, and his will after their reunion on 40K Earth.
• Howard said he had left 40K Earth with Maria and returned to Hermione Granger's world to run Stark Industries.

Su Ming and Howard discussed Tony’s research and Howard’s concern that his son was wasting time instead of advancing technology. Howard introduced the idea of meeting his recovered biological son, Arno, but grew puzzled when Su Ming used quantum manifestation to decorate a gift.

• Howard complained that Tony ignored his advice and spent time with superheroes instead of pursuing important research.
• Su Ming defended Tony’s abilities, noting that he had built a small destroyer-class spaceship.
• Howard asked Su Ming to keep Tony from dying on a future battlefield, and Su Ming showed him a storage device containing Clones technology.
• Howard revealed that Arno had recovered from his congenital illness after they sought treatment in Hermione Granger’s world.
• Su Ming prepared an engraved revolver as a belated recovery gift for Arno and used quantum manifestation to tie a pink butterfly bow around it.
• Howard asked what kind of ability Su Ming had used, saying it felt familiar.

Su Ming demonstrated his new matter-creating ability to Howard, who deduced that it relied on quantum mechanics, and warned that overuse could strip away emotions and hair. They traveled to Paris for dinner with Howard’s family, where Su Ming met Arno and learned that he had recently regained the ability to walk.

• Su Ming showed Howard that he could create gift boxes from thin air, and Howard guessed that the ability assembled matter through quantum mechanics.
• Su Ming told Howard that overusing the ability could turn someone into an emotionless bald man, then asked him to invite his wife and eldest son to dinner.
• Su Ming took Howard and his family to Paris for a French meal instead of choosing among London’s restaurants.
• Su Ming met Arno, praised his intelligence and manners, and gave him a gift.
• Arno explained that he had recently regained the ability to walk after treatments helped him recover from his long illness.

Arno recovered his health and reunited with Howard, Maria, and Deathstroke, who asked the Starks to help monitor threats to their universe. Later, Hermione returned to the Ministry of Magic and received a letter from Arthur containing Sirius’s report about Ancient Magic.

• Deathstroke explained that he had once hoped to treat Arno’s genetic defects, but potions had already helped Arno recover.
• Arno told Howard and Maria that he wanted to meet Tony and might help him study Celestials technology.
• Su Ming warned the Stark family that his enemies might attack universes he had visited and arranged for them to monitor their world.
• Su Ming and the Starks discussed the arrangements and played mahjong at Stark Mahjong House through the night.
• Hermione met Arthur Weasley at the Ministry of Magic, and he passed her a letter with news Sirius had discovered about Ancient Magic.

Hermione used secrets to keep her political opponents in check, then discovered that someone had taken the Fizzing Whizbees from her office and prepared to confront whoever was hiding in her lounge. The chapter ended as she slowly opened the lounge door with a shotgun ready.

• Hermione drove portraits from her office and used investigations and political leverage to silence those plotting against her.
• Hermione read Sirius's letter while Arthur Weasley was with her in the office.
• Hermione noticed that the dish of Fizzing Whizbees on her desk was empty.
• Hermione and Arthur suspected an intruder, and Hermione armed herself with a shotgun.
• Hermione heard rustling behind the closed lounge door and began opening it while aiming her shotgun.