Chapter Summaries

Lin Feng began an Elation path simulation, hoping to earn an S grade and avoid being sent back to the wartime Naruto world. After choosing three talents, he awoke on Herta Space Station as Silver Wolf and Kafka examined him as a chosen vessel.

• Lin Feng learned that he had three simulation attempts left and would return to the Naruto world if he used them all without advancing.
• Lin Feng selected the Path of Elation and chose Love Expert, Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, and Bronze Skin and Iron Bones as his talents.
• Lin Feng awoke in a cabin on Herta Space Station at 11:50 p.m. as Silver Wolf finished hacking the Calculator Terminal.
• Kafka inspected Lin Feng and remarked that he was handsome as she considered him the chosen vessel.

Kafka implanted a Stellaron in Lin Feng and tried to awaken him, but Lin Feng used the chance to kiss her before pretending he had lost his memory. Kafka spared him and wondered if he had mistaken her for his mother.

• Kafka pressed the Stellaron against Lin Feng's chest, and its energy flowed through his body as it took root.
• Kafka spoke to the still-unresponsive Lin Feng about the future Elio had foreseen, and Lin Feng suddenly answered that he liked it.
• Lin Feng embraced Kafka and kissed her, leaving Kafka stunned while Silver Wolf watched in disbelief.
• Kafka pushed Lin Feng away, drew her guns, and threatened to kill him for stealing her first kiss.
• Lin Feng pretended to be confused and called Kafka his mother, so Kafka put away her guns and asked if he was all right.

Kafka comforted Lin Feng before leaving with Silver Wolf, and the Aeon of Elation recognized him as a pathstrider. Lin Feng saw that his Elation simulation had earned a B rating, while Kafka and Silver Wolf departed Herta Space Station aboard a shuttle.

• Kafka held Lin Feng and explained that they had to part, promising they might meet again after he crossed the stars.
• Kafka and Silver Wolf left the chamber, and Lin Feng resolved to remember Kafka and continue the path simulation.
• The Aeon of Elation appeared to Lin Feng, named him a pathstrider, and urged him to reveal the true colors of elation.
• Lin Feng checked his system panel and found 300 simulation points, a B rating, and Elation as his anchored path.
• Aboard their shuttle, Silver Wolf ate potato chips while Kafka watched Herta Space Station recede and told her to eat less junk food.

Kafka and Silver Wolf left Herta Space Station, while Lin Feng waited for Dan Heng and March 7th to find him. March 7th gave Lin Feng rescue breaths, waking him and leaving her flustered by his charm.

• Silver Wolf teased Kafka about crying, missing Lin Feng, and having her first kiss, while Kafka denied her feelings and told Silver Wolf to pilot the ship.
• The blue shuttle accelerated away from Herta Space Station as Kafka gazed out at the stars with a complicated expression.
• Lin Feng lay still in a compartment, expecting Dan Heng and March 7th to find him and hoping March 7th would give him rescue breaths.
• Dan Heng prepared to perform rescue breaths, but March 7th took over and blew air into Lin Feng's lungs.
• Lin Feng woke coughing, praised March 7th, and watched her hide her flushed cheeks.

After March 7th revived Lin Feng, he joined her and Dan Heng as they headed toward the Central Spire. When Antimatter Legion soldiers attacked, Lin Feng proved he could fight and helped March 7th and Dan Heng defeat them.

• March 7th revived Lin Feng, who pretended he could not remember how he had appeared on the space station.
• Dan Heng explained that the Antimatter Legion had attacked the Herta Space Station and invited Lin Feng to go with them to the Central Spire.
• Lin Feng picked up a baseball bat and demonstrated his skill, then March 7th took his hand and led the group onward.
• March 7th froze one Voidranger soldier with an ice arrow, while Dan Heng knocked another aside with his spear.
• Lin Feng stepped in front of March 7th and smashed a Voidranger soldier's head with his bat, and Dan Heng pierced the last soldier with his spear.

Lin Feng used his Love Master talent to grow closer to March 7th as they searched the compartment for Arlan. After they defeated a group of Voidranger Soldiers, Lin Feng resolved to deepen March 7th’s affection and earn more simulation points.

• Dan Heng told Lin Feng to escort March 7th back to the Central Control Zone while he searched for Arlan.
• Lin Feng took March 7th’s hand and led her down the corridor, leaving her flustered but reassured.
• March 7th froze several Voidranger Soldiers with an ice arrow, and Lin Feng smashed them apart with his baseball bat.
• March 7th praised Lin Feng’s bat awkwardly, and Lin Feng teased her until she blushed.
• Lin Feng stopped teasing March 7th and decided to use his Love Master tactics to raise her affection and gain simulation points.

Lin Feng, March 7th, and Dan Heng found the injured Arlan and learned they needed March 7th’s card to unlock the central elevator. Lin Feng retrieved it from her skirt pocket, and March 7th pulled him aside to scold him for his behavior.

• March 7th followed Lin Feng through the station until they reached the locked central elevator.
• Dan Heng joined Lin Feng and March 7th, then led them to the monitoring room, where they found the injured Arlan.
• Arlan explained that the elevator was locked and that Asta had given March 7th a card to restore access.
• March 7th couldn’t remember where she had put the card, so Lin Feng retrieved it from the pocket at the back of her skirt.
• March 7th handed the card to Arlan, then took Lin Feng aside and told him he had gone too far.

Lin Feng and March 7th bickered flirtatiously before Lin Feng saved her from a Voidranger attack. The group fought their way toward the Master Control Cabin, where Dan Heng ended up surrounded by enemies after charging into their ranks.

• March 7th accused Lin Feng of being a Stellaron Hunters spy, but he teased her instead of giving a straight answer.
• Arlan restored access to the Central Elevator, and Dan Heng led the others toward the Master Control Cabin.
• A purple energy spear shot at the group, and Lin Feng tackled March 7th out of its path.
• March 7th thanked Lin Feng and began hoping he would stay aboard the Astral Express.
• Voidranger Tramplers attacked, and Dan Heng charged into their ranks with a powerful spear thrust, leaving himself surrounded.

Lin Feng, March 7th, and Dan Heng fought off a horde of Voidrangers on the metal bridge, but their numbers kept growing and Himeko’s support drone never arrived. Lin Feng stayed behind so Dan Heng could take March 7th to safety, earning Elation Points as she fled while believing he might die.

• Lin Feng and March 7th joined Dan Heng in defeating dozens of Voidrangers, impressing Arlan as he watched from cover.
• With the Voidrangers closing in and no support arriving, Lin Feng told Dan Heng and March 7th to retreat while he held the line.
• Lin Feng gave March 7th an emotional farewell, moving her to tears and leaving Dan Heng impressed by his resolve.
• Dan Heng opened a path through the Voidrangers and carried March 7th to the central elevator, leaving Lin Feng behind.
• Lin Feng earned 200 Elation Points for his performance and smiled as the Voidrangers surrounded him, while March 7th cried and Dan Heng feared he would not survive.

Lin Feng endured the Voidrangers’ attacks while secretly enjoying them and earning Path of Elation points, as his companions believed he had died covering their escape. Dan Heng, March 7th, Himeko, and Asta prepared to return, defeat the Antimatter Legion, and recover his body.

• Lin Feng lay among the Voidrangers, treating their attacks as a back massage and earning 100 Path of Elation points.
• Arlan watched from cover, believed Lin Feng had died, and resolved to follow his example of selfless bravery.
• Dan Heng and March 7th reached Himeko, and March mourned Lin Feng while holding his photograph.
• Dan Heng explained how Lin Feng had stayed behind to cover their retreat, and Himeko led him and March 7th back to avenge Lin Feng and retrieve his body.
• Asta ordered the remaining security personnel to follow Himeko and planned to honor Lin Feng with a memorial display at Herta Space Station.

Lin Feng waited as the Astral Express crew and Herta Space Station personnel arrived, then used a holographic illusion to make himself appear mortally wounded. After the fighting ended, he prepared to stage his own death for the approaching group.

• Arlan crawled out from cover and prepared to fight the Voidrangers despite his injuries.
• Himeko, Dan Heng, March 7th, Asta, and the Security Department arrived at the Central Elevator, drawing the Voidrangers into battle.
• Lin Feng decided to keep playing dead and redeemed the Super Holographic Image Creator (Small) for 300 simulation points.
• Lin Feng used the holographic device to make himself look severely injured and nearly lifeless.
• After the battle ended, Lin Feng heard hurried footsteps approach and prepared to perform his staged death.

March 7th and the others believed Lin Feng had died protecting them, and March confessed her love while he secretly played dead. As his companions began arranging his funeral, Lin Feng restored his heartbeat and breathing, preparing to end the act.

• Arlan, Dan Heng, and Asta mourned Lin Feng, believing he had sacrificed himself to protect them.
• March 7th wept over Lin Feng and confessed that she loved him, unaware that he could hear her.
• Lin Feng privately admitted that he had staged his death and enjoyed March 7th's confession.
• Dan Heng, Arlan, and Asta tried to comfort March 7th and began discussing Lin Feng's funeral.
• Lin Feng used the Super Holographic Image Creator to give himself a faint heartbeat and breathing.

Himeko discovered that Lin Feng was still alive, and March 7th rejoiced when he woke on the Herta Space Station. The crew arranged to take him to the Medical Pod, while March promised to stay by his side.

• Himeko heard Lin Feng's faint heartbeat and told the others he was still alive.
• March 7th confirmed that Lin Feng was breathing, and Arlan speculated that the Aeon of Preservation had saved him.
• Himeko sensed that a Stellaron had taken up residence inside Lin Feng and suggested Ms. Herta might explain what had happened.
• Lin Feng woke and spoke with March 7th, who cried with relief and lightly thumped his chest before he coughed blood.
• Himeko ordered security personnel to take Lin Feng to the Medical Pod, and March promised to visit him and have his back.

After recovering from his injuries in Herta Space Station's Medical Pod, Lin Feng pretended to remain asleep while Asta stayed by his bedside. The chapter ended with Asta resting on his chest, unaware that Lin Feng was awake and plotting to earn Path Simulation Points through her.

• A doctor reported to Asta that Lin Feng's wounds had healed unusually quickly and that he was out of danger.
• Asta dismissed the medical team so she could remain alone with Lin Feng, the hero who had protected the station.
• Asta checked Lin Feng's heartbeat and touched his chest, then rested her cheek on him when she grew sleepy.
• Lin Feng revealed that he was awake and thought about using Asta to earn back his Path Simulation Points.

Lin Feng woke up and mistook Asta for March 7th, using the confusion to flatter Asta and feign a crush on her. Asta grew increasingly flustered as he spoke, while Lin Feng ended by saying they would leave on the Starry Sky train and become strangers.

• Lin Feng woke and called Asta “March,” then praised Station Manager Asta while pretending he believed her to be someone else.
• Lin Feng claimed he had once been a deck cleaner and described Asta’s private habits and favorite food, shocking her with his knowledge.
• Asta questioned whether Lin Feng liked her, and he admitted he might, describing her fascination with the stars and lamenting their different worlds.
• Asta blushed and secretly delighted in Lin Feng’s words, while he continued the act by saying they would eventually leave on the Starry Sky train and become strangers.

Lin Feng manipulated Asta into staying with him, and the two spent the night together in a medical room on Herta Space Station. He earned 600 Path of Elation Simulation Points, bringing his total to 1,200, and wondered how Asta would treat him afterward.

• Asta became distressed at the thought of parting from Lin Feng, believing he belonged with March 7th.
• Lin Feng caught Asta by the wrist and persuaded her to stay with him for the night.
• Asta gave in to her feelings and spent the night with Lin Feng.
• Lin Feng received 600 Path of Elation Simulation Points, bringing his accumulated total to 1,200.
• Lin Feng looked at the sleeping Asta and reflected on how their night might change his journey.

Lin Feng woke on Herta Space Station after spending the night with Asta and wondered why the Doomsday Beast had not attacked as expected. March 7th visited him, relieved that he had recovered, and invited him to join the Astral Express.

• Lin Feng noticed that Asta had left and reflected on how his actions might have changed the Path Simulation's events.
• Lin Feng decided to focus on earning Path Simulation points and reaching S rank by winning over beautiful girls.
• March 7th checked Lin Feng's healed injuries and admitted she had stayed awake worrying about him.
• Lin Feng teased March 7th and flirted with her, but she did not scold him because he had saved her life and was still a patient.
• March 7th earnestly invited Lin Feng to join the Astral Express, saying Himeko, Dan Heng, and Uncle Yang agreed.

Lin Feng used March 7th’s invitation to negotiate for a kiss, while pretending he might stay at Herta Space Station. March 7th gave him a shy greeting kiss, but he received no Path of Elation points.

• March 7th invited Lin Feng to join the Astral Express, but he said he had no compelling reason to go.
• March 7th pleaded with Lin Feng to join, and he said he would consider it if she gave herself to him.
• After March 7th rejected that condition, Lin Feng asked for a sweet kiss instead.
• March 7th kissed Lin Feng on the cheek and insisted it was only a greeting between friends.
• Lin Feng realized the kiss earned him no Path of Elation points.

March 7th grew suspicious of the perfume on Lin Feng, while he learned that an unusual achievement had earned him Path Simulation points. When the Doomsday Beast attacked Herta Space Station, March hurried to evacuate with Lin Feng and return to the Astral Express.

• March 7th smelled unfamiliar perfume on Lin Feng and questioned whether someone had visited him, but he claimed he had only just woken up.
• Lin Feng unlocked the achievement “You smell like her perfume,” earned 150 Path of Elation points, and learned that achievements could reward points when they pleased an Aeon.
• The Doomsday Beast shook Herta Space Station, and March 7th read urgent messages warning that the station was in danger and telling her to evacuate with Lin Feng.
• March 7th grabbed Lin Feng and rushed out of the Medical Pod, telling him she was taking him back to the Astral Express.

Lin Feng refused to evacuate with the Astral Express crew and chose to stay on Herta Space Station to fight the Doomsday Beast, partly because he would not leave Asta behind. As the station’s defenses came under attack, Arlan tried to contact Asta and then went to find her himself.

• Lin Feng realized the Doomsday Beast might be stronger than the one he had fought before and decided he could not leave the simulation or abandon Asta.
• Lin Feng told March 7th to return without him and insisted on staying to fight the Doomsday Beast.
• March 7th pleaded with Lin Feng to evacuate, then messaged Himeko after he refused.
• At the Central Control Zone, Arlan learned that Asta had not responded and Wilna estimated the Repulsion Field Barrier would last no more than twenty minutes.
• Arlan ordered Wilna to activate the station’s Plasma Firepower Modules and sent Ruder’s unit to manage the escape pods, prioritizing researchers.
• Arlan decided to go to Asta’s living quarters after wondering what had happened to her.