Recaps

Xu Jiawei tried to silence Zhang Fang to prevent his singing from endangering the players, but Xu Nan stopped her and revealed that Song Liru had been missing since the previous night. The players gathered to question him, and the chapter ended with Qin Ning abruptly stopping their argument.

• Xu Jiawei prepared to scald Zhang Fang mute, but Xu Nan rushed in and threatened her and Shao Lan to protect his brother.
• Xu Jiawei warned Xu Nan that she would kill him and Zhang Fang if Zhang Fang sang again, and Xu Nan put away his knife.
• Xu Nan said Song Liru had gone out the previous night and never returned, prompting the players to gather and question him.
• Xu Nan said Song Liru had left after they fought, while Shao Lan recalled that she had previously complained Xu Nan hit her.
• Xu Jiaojiao accused Xu Nan of failing to look for Song Liru, and Xu Nan insisted he had thought she was staying with Xu Jiaojiao.
• Qin Ning kicked the metal door three times and told everyone to stop arguing because they were too noisy.

Shao Lan had the group compare their movements to determine when Song Liru disappeared. Their accounts established that Song Liru was last seen during the hallway conversation, which ended around nine ten.

• Shao Lan proposed that the seven people present explain their movements and witnesses, and Qin Ning agreed to begin.
• Qin Ning said she went out alone to retrieve supplies by climbing down from a window, then described her movements and said Xu Zijian could vouch for their time together.
• Xu Zijian recounted joining the hallway conversation and later going with Xu Jiaojiao to fetch supplies; he said others could confirm most of his movements.
• Shao Lan asked whether Song Liru had been in the hallway when Xu Zijian and Xu Jiaojiao passed the second floor, and Xu Jiaojiao said they had not seen her.
• Xu Nan insisted Song Liru had not returned to their room, and Shao Lan concluded that she was last seen when the hallway conversation ended around nine ten.

The group reviewed everyone’s timelines to determine what happened to Song Liru, but found no evidence against Zhang Fang and remained suspicious of Xu Nan and Qin Ning. As the group split up to investigate, Shao Lan questioned Xu Jiaojiao about her closeness to Xu Zijian, leaving her uneasy that Shao Lan knew more than he was saying.

• Xu Jiawei narrowed Song Liru’s disappearance to the ten minutes between nine ten and nine twenty and identified Xu Nan and Qin Ning as the main suspects.
• Shao Lan pointed out that Zhang Fang had not given a timeline, but Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Jiawei confirmed he had stayed on the third floor and could not have met Song Liru.
• Xu Zijian urged the group to stop arguing and search for Song Liru, suggesting they inspect Xu Nan and Song Liru’s room.
• Qin Ning refused to join the search and walked away alone, while Shao Lan left to follow her.
• Shao Lan asked Xu Jiaojiao why she had gone with Xu Zijian to collect supplies instead of asking him, and Xu Jiaojiao later told Xu Zijian that she thought Shao Lan knew something.

Shao Lan secretly approached Qin Ning and traded information for her promise of one instance of combat support. He argued that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had conspired to kill Song Liru, leaving Qin Ning with a new lead.

• Qin Ning noticed someone following her and drew her Miao Saber before Shao Lan revealed himself.
• Shao Lan asked Qin Ning to work with him, then offered information in exchange for one unconditional instance of combat support.
• Qin Ning accepted the trade, and Shao Lan said Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had killed Song Liru together.
• Shao Lan explained that Xu Zijian had obstructed the timeline reconstruction and given a suspicious account.
• Shao Lan reasoned that only Qin Ning, Xu Zijian, and Xu Jiaojiao had left the Guesthouse, and that Xu Jiaojiao was the one who could have lured Song Liru outside.

Shao Lan explained how Xu Jiaojiao’s answer about seeking Xu Zijian instead of Song Liru exposed a flaw in her account, leading him to conclude that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had gone out together to kill Song Liru. He and Qin Ning parted after discussing where Song Liru might be hidden and exchanging a question.

• Shao Lan told Qin Ning that Xu Jiaojiao’s claim that she was closer to Xu Zijian made no sense because Song Liru had been her closest friend.
• Shao Lan concluded that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had lied about collecting supplies and had gone out together to kill Song Liru.
• Shao Lan said he suspected Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian knew something the others did not and suggested searching the village for Song Liru’s body.
• Shao Lan asked Qin Ning whether she had ever killed anyone, and Qin Ning answered yes before refusing to answer his follow-up question.
• Shao Lan and Qin Ning ended their conversation and took different paths at the fork.

Shao Lan returned to the guesthouse, where the group learned Qin Ning had come back and the Village Chief invited them to eat seafood rice noodles. Shao Lan discovered the noodles were worms, but Zhang Fang ate bowl after bowl before choking and running toward the sea.

• Shao Lan returned to the guesthouse and found Xu Jiaojiao, while Xu Nan and Xu Zijian questioned the waitress about the missing Song Liru.
• Qin Ning came back and sat alone, and the Village Chief arrived to reassure Xu Nan that the villagers would help search for his missing wife.
• The Village Chief led the group to lunch, where Shao Lan noticed the seafood rice noodles were actually white, threadlike worms.
• Shao Lan and the others gave their bowls to Zhang Fang, who devoured seven servings despite the Village Chief trying to stop him.
• Zhang Fang clutched his throat, said he could not breathe, and suddenly sprinted toward the sea.

Shao Lan and Qin Ning stopped Zhang Fang from drowning himself and concluded that sea-related contamination had made him believe he was a fish. They left to search for Song Liru separately, but both headed downstairs as the Village Chief and the other players returned.

• Zhang Fang ran toward the sea, but Shao Lan grabbed him and Qin Ning knocked him unconscious before they could drag him back to shore.
• Shao Lan claimed to be a doctor and took Zhang Fang to his room, where he restrained him and told Qin Ning he needed Zhang Fang to save him.
• Shao Lan reasoned that Zhang Fang believed he was a fish because his soul had been contaminated, and Qin Ning identified the sea as the likely source of the contamination.
• Shao Lan suspected the glimmering things from Zhang Fang's bandages had entered his body, but he found nothing unusual in the wound.
• Qin Ning decided to search for Song Liru, and Shao Lan followed while insisting they were searching separately.
• Shao Lan and Qin Ning descended to the second floor and heard the Village Chief returning with the other players.

Shao Lan and Qin Ning learned that children on the island were born without eyes and had to receive them before turning eighteen to survive. They discovered the Village Chief was withholding eyes from the dying Xiao Cai, and Xu Xiao Hong volunteered to take his sister into the sea to get them.

• Shao Lan and Qin Ning escaped the Guesthouse and found Xu Xiao Hong being beaten by his father for skipping a fishing trip.
• Shao Lan fed Xu Xiao Hong and learned that children without eyes weakened and died at eighteen, while adults with eyes could not go near the sea.
• Shao Lan realized the island had few adults because most children died before reaching adulthood without receiving eyes from the Village Chief.
• Qin Ning gave Xu Xiao Hong food and milk, which he fed to his unconscious sister, Xiao Cai.
• The Village Chief refused to give Xiao Cai eyes because she was too weak to enter the sea, and Xu Xiao Hong offered to take her there himself.

Xu Xiaohong tried to send Xu Xiaocai out to sea so she could regain her sight, but Qin Ning and Shao Lan rescued the siblings when they were swept into danger. Shao Lan discovered Song Liru’s strange, blind-fish-like body following Xu Xiaocai’s board, and he proposed going sea fishing after the Village Chief and Xu Gao reacted uneasily to the idea.

• The Village Chief agreed to let Xu Xiaohong attempt to restore Xu Xiaocai’s sight by sending her out to sea, and Shao Lan and Qin Ning followed them to the shore.
• Xu Xiaohong pushed Xu Xiaocai’s board into the sea, but a wave knocked him down, so Qin Ning jumped in and helped bring him back toward shore.
• Xu Xiaocai returned on the board with her sight restored, and Shao Lan swam out to rescue her as the tide rose.
• Shao Lan spotted Song Liru’s corpse in the water, with silvery skin and calcified eye sockets, slowly following Xu Xiaocai’s board.
• After Xu Gao thanked them and the Village Chief suggested rescheduling a performance, Shao Lan proposed going sea fishing, which made the Village Chief and Xu Gao uneasy.

Shao Lan noticed that Xu Zijian’s name had been carved with the wrong character, bringing him closer to understanding his opponent’s scheme. Meanwhile, Xu Jiawei and Shao Lan investigated Zhang Fang’s disappearance as Xu Nan awaited a secret visitor.

• The Village Chief allowed Shao Lan to observe the sea from shore but forbade him from going out to sea before marrying Jiawei.
• Qin Ning showed Shao Lan the food labels, and he realized that Xu Zijian’s carved name used the wrong character for Jian.
• Shao Lan told Qin Ning to keep Xu Zijian and Xu Jiaojiao occupied, then discovered Zhang Fang had vanished from the Moon-Viewing Pavilion.
• Xu Jiawei agreed that Xu Nan was the prime suspect in Zhang Fang’s disappearance and went to question him.
• Xu Nan waited for his secret contact, and Xu Jiawei appeared at his door.

Xu Jiawei sent Xu Nan away to take the blame for Zhang Fang’s disappearance, while Qin Ning was attacked on a dark path. The group gathered to watch the sea fishing, and Shao Lan chose to postpone searching for the missing men until daylight.

• Xu Jiawei gave Xu Nan supplies and told him to disappear so she could blame him for Zhang Fang’s disappearance and deflect suspicion from herself.
• A masked attacker slashed at Qin Ning, but she kicked the figure away; the attacker fled into the bushes before she could identify them.
• Qin Ning joined Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian on their way to watch the sea fishing.
• Xu Jiawei told the group that Zhang Fang and Xu Nan were missing, and Shao Lan decided they should wait until daylight to search.
• As the children gathered by the boats, Shao Lan heard Xu Xiaohong say that he would catch fish to make soup for his sister.

Shao Lan questioned Xu Gao about Mother Ming and the village’s practices, then arranged with Qin Ning to escape when an opportunity arose. As the children fished offshore, Shao Lan spotted a mass of Blind Fish silently approaching their boats.

• Xu Gao told Shao Lan that Mother Ming was the village’s god and became distraught when Shao Lan challenged the idea that her treatment of the villagers was love.
• Shao Lan inferred that Xu Gao had seen the outside world and was trapped in the village for the sake of his children; Xu Gao admitted he wanted to end everything but lacked the courage.
• Shao Lan told Qin Ning that they must run as soon as Xu Jiawei stopped watching them, calling it their only chance to survive.
• Shao Lan questioned why the villagers used fishing rods instead of nets, then noticed rows of white Blind Fish approaching the children’s boats.
• The Village Chief watched the Blind Fish advance and cried out in terror, asking why they had come.

Shao Lan’s plan drew the Blind Fish to Xu Nan, while Xu Xiaohong kept the children safe by following Shao Lan’s advice. After Xu Nan was devoured, Xu Jiawei realized Shao Lan and Qin Ning had escaped and ordered every boat burned.

• The Blind Fish swarmed the children’s fishing boat, terrifying the villagers and prompting Nannan’s mother to try to rush into the sea.
• Xu Xiaohong recalled Shao Lan’s warning, told the children to sit still, and watched as the Blind Fish passed without harming them.
• Xu Jiawei realized the Blind Fish were targeting the bait barrel at the stern, where Xu Nan had been locked inside.
• The Blind Fish broke the barrel, devoured Xu Nan, and then dispersed as the children’s boat returned safely to shore.
• Xu Jiawei deduced that Shao Lan had hidden Xu Nan in the barrel and escaped with Qin Ning, then ordered the Village Chief to burn every boat.

Shao Lan explained the sacrifice system and the Xu faction’s scheme to Qin Ning, then revealed that Xu Jiawei had forged the Guesthouse room inscriptions to manipulate the players from the moment they checked in. Qin Ning agreed to find and kill Zhang Fang, while Xu Jiawei remained their greatest opponent.

• Shao Lan made a deal with Qin Ning to find and kill Zhang Fang in exchange for everything he had learned.
• Shao Lan explained that the villagers used Blind Fish Fry and the Sacrificial Song to turn outsiders into sacrifices whose eyes could be given to eyeless children.
• Shao Lan concluded that Zhang Fang had been infected through medicine and that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had forced Blind Fish Fry on Song Liru.
• Shao Lan revealed that Xu Jiawei had pretended to be affected by the Sacrificial Song because it could not harm members of the Xu Family Village faction.
• Shao Lan connected the misspelled inscription for Xu Zijian to deliberate sabotage and revealed that Xu Jiawei had carved the names while the others were drinking tea.

Shao Lan and Qin Ning realized Xu Jiawei had used the room assignments to isolate the sacrifices, but the Xu family’s inability to approach the sea gave them a possible escape route. Xu Jiawei ordered every boat burned to prevent that escape, and Shao Lan began planning to persuade someone in the village to help.

• Shao Lan and Qin Ning concluded that Xu Jiawei had manipulated the room assignments to separate and control the sacrifices.
• Shao Lan identified the sea as a possible way out because the Xu family could not go near it, while Xu Jiawei learned of the threat and ordered every boat in Xu Family Village burned.
• Xu Jiawei explained that she had tried to eliminate the sacrifices quickly, but the plan had faltered after Xu Nan died and Shao Lan and Qin Ning remained unharmed.
• Xu Jiawei told Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian that the villagers would have to choose between rebuilding boats and obtaining eyes for their children.
• Shao Lan and Qin Ning watched the boats burn, and Shao Lan said he could not stop the village but could try to persuade someone.
• Shao Lan asked Qin Ning to finish telling him about the attempt on her life.

Qin Ning and Shao Lan identified Xu Gao as the person who attacked Qin Ning, and Qin Ning set out to kill. As the Xu family members fought over who could offer Zhang Fang as a sacrifice, Xu Jiaojiao killed Xu Zijian and claimed the sacrifice for herself.

• Shao Lan deduced that Xu Gao had attacked Qin Ning in an attempt to blind her and prevent her from being used as a sacrifice.
• Qin Ning agreed to find Xu Gao the next morning and left to fulfill her bargain with Shao Lan.
• Xu Zijian and Xu Jiaojiao argued over who would deliver Zhang Fang as a sacrifice, with Xu Zijian hoping to earn Mother Ming's [Memories].
• Qin Ning attacked Zhang Fang, but Xu Zijian fought her off and she escaped into the bushes.
• After thanking Xu Jiaojiao for saving him, Xu Zijian was stabbed by her and died.
• Xu Jiaojiao delivered Zhang Fang to the Village Chief and elders, then left to conceal Xu Zijian's death.

Qin Ning secretly destroyed Zhang Fang’s eyes, causing Mother Ming to reject the offering and the villagers to blame Xu Jiaojiao. They cast Xu Jiaojiao into the sea as a replacement offering, where she saw Song Liru among the approaching Blind Fish.

• The villagers sent Zhang Fang out to sea as an offering, but the waves carried his body back.
• The old woman discovered that Zhang Fang’s eyes were ruined and accused Xu Jiaojiao of endangering the village.
• Qin Ning recalled that Shao Lan had asked her to destroy Zhang Fang’s eyes without being caught, and she had made precise cuts that blinded him.
• The villagers bound Xu Jiaojiao to the offering board and pushed her into the sea, declaring that she had to pay for ruining the offering.
• As Blind Fish surrounded Xu Jiaojiao’s board, she recognized Song Liru among them.

After Xu Jiaojiao was devoured during the failed Sacrifice Ceremony, Xu Xiaocai offered to help Shao Lan find a hidden boat in exchange for escaping with him. She explained her family’s return to Xu Family Village and her mother’s investigation into Mother Ming, revealing that her mother became a sacrifice while trying to lift the village’s curse.

• Song Liru transformed into a blind fish and attacked Xu Jiaojiao, who was soon engulfed by the fish.
• Shao Lan avoided the villagers rushing to the shore and encountered Xu Xiaocai in the alley.
• Xu Xiaocai offered to help Shao Lan find a secretly hidden boat if he took her out to sea.
• Xu Xiaocai described how her family returned to the village because she was born without eyes, and how her mother researched Mother Ming’s story.
• Xu Xiaocai explained that her mother intended to enter the deep sea to reveal the truth and appease Mother Ming’s two souls, but became a sacrifice.

Xu Xiaocai asked Shao Lan to take her to see Mother Ming so she could help end the curse, while Shao Lan and Qin Ning escaped Xu Family Village by boat with her hidden in a barrel. As Blind Fish gathered around them at sea, something grabbed Qin Ning’s calf from beneath the water.

• Xu Xiaocai told Shao Lan about her mother’s death and agreed to help him leave if he protected her until they reached the Deep Sea.
• Xu Xiaocai asked Xu Gao to let her go, and he silently accepted her decision before she left with Shao Lan.
• Xu Jiawei saw Shao Lan and Qin Ning launching a boat and, with no sacrifice left, chanted that she would die and be reborn in the water.
• Shao Lan and Qin Ning rowed away with Xu Xiaocai concealed in a scent-masking barrel as Blind Fish gathered around their boat.
• The boat slowed despite their efforts, and a rotting hand reached from the sea and seized Qin Ning’s calf.

Qin Ning and Shao Lan fought Xu Jiawei’s water ghosts by using Xu Xiaocai’s blood to draw the Blind Fish to them. With Blind Fish swarming the boat, Qin Ning took the bloodied jacket and barrel into the water to lure them away and protect Shao Lan.

• A rotting female ghost dragged Qin Ning underwater, where Qin Ning discovered three more and escaped after cutting free from the ghost’s grip.
• Shao Lan identified the ghosts as Xu Jiawei’s servants and used Xu Xiaocai’s blood to make the Blind Fish attack them.
• The Blind Fish tore apart one ghost and surrounded the others, forcing Xu Jiawei to call them back as she suffered pain and blood loss.
• After the Blind Fish devoured Xu Jiaojiao’s corpse, Shao Lan planned to lure them away from the boat using Xu Xiaocai’s blood.
• Qin Ning took Shao Lan’s bloodied jacket and the barrel into the water, saying she was using the support she had promised him.

Qin Ning, Shao Lan, and Xu Xiaocai reached the edge of the Nether Sea, but Xu Gao and Xu Xiaocai sacrificed themselves to clear a path. Qin Ning entered the elevator whirlpool, while Shao Lan stayed behind and encountered Xu Jiawei.

• Xu Gao attracted the blind fish with his blood and was dragged underwater after urging Xu Xiaocai to fulfill her mother's wish.
• Qin Ning rescued Xu Xiaocai as Shao Lan seized Xu Gao's speedboat, and Xu Xiaocai realized her father had supported her quest.
• Xu Xiaocai sang a song of longing and jumped into the sea, drawing the blind fish away and causing the elevator entrance to appear.
• Qin Ning declared the level cleared and entered the whirlpool, while Shao Lan stayed behind beside Xu Xiaocai's remains.
• Xu Jiawei arrived as Shao Lan examined bloody characters on the speedboat.

Xu Jiawei escaped the Nether Sea after a brutal fight, while Shao Lan uncovered Xu Xiaocai’s final wish and helped her apologize to Mother Ming. Mother Ming’s sisters vanished, Xu Family Village gained its sight and freedom, and Shao Lan returned from the instance with rewards for clearing it and completing the side story.

• Xu Jiawei sacrificed the village chief to distract the blind fish and escaped through the whirlpool, leaving Shao Lan alone with Xu Xiaocai’s bones.
• Shao Lan realized Xu Xiaocai’s apology was meant for Mother Ming, tied her bones to the boat, and rowed them into the Nether Sea.
• Xu Xiaocai knelt before the Mother Ming sisters and apologized on behalf of the Xu Family; the sisters dissolved into silver petals.
• Xu Xiaohong dreamed of his family, woke with eyes, and joined Nannan and the village children at the sea as the blind fish and divine sacrifices disappeared.
• A baby was born in Xu Family Village with eyes, while Shao Lan touched a final silver petal and returned to the elevator.
• Shao Lan received 5,000 yuan for clearing the Mother Ming Sacrifice instance and an additional 10,000 yuan for completing Xu Xiaocai’s Wish and obtaining Mother Ming’s Flower Sacrifice.

Shao Lan returned from the Instance to find Tang Zhang and Li Yun demanding food from Pancake Uncle and the injured Jiang Mingran. He ordered the couple to put down the bread as they tried to leave.

• Shao Lan noticed that the guaranteed payout for clearing [Nether God Sacrifice] was five thousand yuan and returned to the eighth floor.
• Shao Lan found Tang Zhang and Li Yun pressuring Pancake Uncle for food in Room 804 while Jiang Mingran lay gravely injured.
• Pancake Uncle explained that Tang Zhang and Li Yun had arrived as new residents and claimed they deserved the food for saving him and Jiang Mingran from the blond thug.
• Li Yun picked up the remaining bread and tried to leave with Tang Zhang, but Shao Lan told them to put it down.

Shao Lan drove Li Yun and Tang Zhang away, then returned to care for the badly injured Jiang Mingran and the exhausted Pancake Uncle. After arranging a meal for them, Shao Lan searched the vending machine for an iron door.

• Shao Lan threatened Tang Zhang with a knife, and Li Yun pulled Tang Zhang away after failing to bargain for food.
• Shao Lan found Jiang Mingran feverish from infected wounds and learned that twenty-four hours had passed in the building during his time in the Instance.
• Pancake Uncle explained that Jiang Mingran's wounds had been treated but that they were nearly out of money, and Shao Lan reassured him.
• Shao Lan persuaded Pancake Uncle to cook in exchange for a portion of the meal, and Pancake Uncle spent fifty yuan on ingredients.
• Pancake Uncle cooked several dishes and prepared soft food for Jiang Mingran, and Shao Lan ate before searching the vending machine for an iron door.

Shao Lan bought three stainless steel doors to protect his group and explained how entering an instance healed injuries. Jiang Mingran agreed to enter an instance with him, while the young couple learned that the doors had been purchased from the Vending Machine after Tang Zhang was punished for grabbing the Property Manager.

• Shao Lan bought three Stainless Steel Entry Doors and explained to Pancake Uncle that multiple doors would deter attackers and conceal which room held their supplies.
• Jiang Mingran woke up, and Shao Lan explained that entering an instance healed injuries as long as the injured person had not died.
• Shao Lan warned Jiang Mingran about the danger and faction conflicts in instances, and Jiang Mingran chose to enter one with him.
• Li Yun demanded that the Property Manager explain why Shao Lan's group had stainless steel doors, and Tang Zhang grabbed the manager by the collar.
• The Property Manager broke Tang Zhang's arm while reminding him not to attack staff, and Li Yun realized the doors had come from the Vending Machine.