Recaps

Xia Xu followed Meng Long to an underground dogfighting venue with A Tuo’s help and reported the gambling to the police. The police arrested Meng Long and the other attendees, while Xia Xu left without revealing himself.

• A Tuo tracked Meng Long’s van to a remote livestock farm, and Xia Xu realized the site was likely an underground dogfighting venue.
• Xia Xu paid the taxi driver to wait and called the police to report gambling at the farm.
• A square-faced officer arrived with several police cars and entered the farm with his colleagues.
• The police escorted Meng Long and the other attendees away, and Xia Xu slipped back into the taxi.

Xia Xu brought Ato home and discovered the dog was unusually intelligent, loyal, and eager to become stronger. After explaining the risks, Xia Xu injected Ato with the Werewolf Enhancement Serum, but nothing happened immediately.

• Luo Hongyun recognized Ato's alert, combat-ready demeanor and tested him with killing intent, prompting Ato to defend Xia Xu.
• Xia Xu brought Ato to his apartment, where Ato explored the room and showed affection, raising his affection score to 60.
• Xia Xu promised not to abandon Ato and showed him the Werewolf Enhancement Serum, which Ato understood as a way to become stronger; his affection rose to 80.
• Xia Xu explained the serum's uncertain safety and let Ato choose whether to use it, and Ato eagerly picked it up and looked at him expectantly.
• Xia Xu injected the full syringe into Ato, but Ato showed no immediate change, so Xia Xu claimed the serum needed time to work.

After receiving the Werewolf Enhancement Serum, A Tuo ate enormous amounts of food and slept, then woke stronger and more affectionate toward Xia Xu. Xia Xu confirmed the serum was making A Tuo grow rapidly, though A Tuo’s displayed fate remained unchanged.

• A Tuo devoured the meat Xia Xu had bought and repeatedly demanded food before finally falling asleep.
• Xia Xu locked himself in his bedroom overnight to stay safe in case the serum caused A Tuo to mutate or go berserk.
• A Tuo greeted Xia Xu excitedly the next morning, and Xia Xu noticed he had grown sturdier.
• Xia Xu checked A Tuo’s attributes and found his affection had reached 100 while his life level and fate potential remained unchanged.
• Xia Xu examined the serum’s special-field entry and learned that A Tuo was in a period of rapid growth requiring abundant sleep and nutrition.
• Xia Xu speculated that the serum might eventually raise A Tuo to a second-level life-form and concluded that A Tuo’s displayed fate still reflected his original course.

Xia Xu returned to school after the weekend, struggled to catch up on homework, and spent lunch with Tang Youxin. The chapter left them sharing a shy, teasing moment as their closeness grew.

• Xia Xu joined Luo Hongyun and A Tuo for a morning workout before heading to school.
• Xia Xu realized he had forgotten his homework, and Tang Youxin lent him hers to copy before class.
• Xia Xu focused on exam revision, then brought lunch for himself and Tang Youxin after feeding A Tuo.
• Tang Youxin worried she had gained weight, and Xia Xu reassured her that she was recovering from malnutrition.
• Xia Xu asked Tang Youxin to feed him braised pork, then teased her by hinting he wanted the piece she had eaten, leaving her flustered.

Xia Xu rejected Xu Chao’s independent-recruitment offer and continued studying and training while reconsidering his college plans. Hong Bo then called with good news that Wulin Picture Scroll was nearly finished and would soon launch on a gaming platform.

• Ma Bing invited Xia Xu to join Xu Chao’s group visiting junior colleges for independent recruitment, but Xia Xu declined and advised Ma Bing to keep trying for the college entrance exam.
• Xia Xu weighed his slim chances of entering a first-tier university and accepted that he might have to drop out and go into business if he could not get into a suitable school.
• Xia Xu spent the next several days studying and training in unarmed combat, Miao Dao, and archery while A Tuo grew larger and stronger on a meat-heavy diet.
• Hong Bo called Xia Xu from Flying Boat Studio and reported that Wulin Picture Scroll was nearly complete and would soon launch on a gaming platform.

Xia Xu picked up Louise for Luo Hongyun and discovered that her teacher, Catherine, was tied to a new plot called "Superbrain." He considered what the plot might involve, though he wanted to avoid getting drawn into another dangerous situation.

• Hong Bo told Xia Xu that Wulin Picture Scroll was nearing its release, while Xia Xu reflected on the money he had earned from reporting Meng Long's dogfighting ring.
• Luo Hongyun called Xia Xu and asked him to pick up Louise, and Xia Xu agreed.
• Xia Xu took A Tuo to Green Vine Bilingual Primary School and collected Louise after dismissal.
• Xia Xu checked Catherine's attributes and saw that her fate potential identified her as a supporting character in "Superbrain."
• Xia Xu speculated about the plot's possible connection to a gifted child or extraordinary intelligence and wondered whether a special department might become involved.

Xia Xu suspected that Catherine might be connected to a way of artificially enhancing intelligence, so he tried to learn more about her and asked Yang Bowen and Grant to investigate. While waiting for results, he played Wulin Picture Scroll on its release day and became convinced it would be a major hit.

• Xia Xu complimented Catherine, learned that she had studied at Johns Hopkins University, and ended their conversation without uncovering anything useful.
• Xia Xu emailed Grant to investigate Catherine and asked Yang Bowen to watch her and Ivy Elementary School.
• Xia Xu took Louise home, then spent the next two days picking her up from school while his inquiries found no evidence that Catherine was anything but an ordinary teacher.
• Grant agreed to investigate Catherine's university records and personal connections, though the results would take time.
• On Sunday, Xia Xu played Wulin Picture Scroll for hours and judged the newly released martial arts strategy game a potential hit.

Wulin Picture Scroll became a domestic gaming sensation, selling over 300,000 copies in its first week and earning widespread praise from players. The success exposed Star Sea Venture Capital’s extraordinary return on its investment, drawing attention to the obscure firm and its boss, Xia Xu.

• Wulin Picture Scroll sold over 30,000 copies on its first day and more than 300,000 in its first week, topping ST Platform’s weekly sales chart.
• Players promoted the game widely, and several major piracy sites announced that they would not crack it.
• The game’s sales brought in roughly twenty million yuan in its first week, despite Flying Boat Studio having only 500,000 yuan in registered capital.
• Investigators discovered that Star Sea Venture Capital had funded Flying Boat Studio and owned 70 percent of its shares, while the creative team held 30 percent.
• Investors and industry figures turned their attention to Star Sea Venture Capital, but could learn little about the firm or its boss, Xia Xu.
• People flooded Flying Boat Studio’s contact channels with proposals and acquisition inquiries.

Xia Xu visited Flying Boat Studio and celebrated the success of Wulin Picture Scroll with Hong Bo and his five roommates. He left with them to get dinner, while the group marveled at A Tuo’s intelligence and learned how much the dog had cost.

• Xia Xu visited Flying Boat Studio and met Hong Bo’s five roommates, who were earning major dividends from Wulin Picture Scroll.
• Hong Bo recalled how Xia Xu’s 500,000 investment had helped him finish and release the game, and his affection for Xia Xu reached 100.
• Xia Xu invited Hong Bo and the others to dinner to celebrate the game’s success.
• A Tuo came running when Xia Xu called and offered him its leash, astonishing the six young men.
• Xia Xu explained that he had bought A Tuo at an auction for retired police dogs, and the roommates balked at its roughly 200,000 price.

Xia Xu rejected interviews and publicity to avoid attracting dangerous attention, while considering offers for his Flying Boat Studio shares. He remained unsure whether to cash out after weighing Hong Bo’s valuable game-planning talent and their working relationship.

• Hong Bo’s roommates speculated about Xia Xu’s background as the group traveled to a private dining restaurant.
• Hong Bo told Xia Xu that callers wanted interviews, investment discussions, and contact information for Star Sea Venture Capital.
• Xia Xu refused interviews and publicity, explaining that staying out of the public eye would reduce the risk of attracting dangerous people and disrupting other plots.
• Xia Xu told Hong Bo to direct prospective business contacts to him, then said he would probably sell his studio shares rather than wait for dividends.
• Xia Xu hesitated over selling because he valued Hong Bo’s three-star game-planning talent and recognized that Hong Bo could generate income for him through future games.

Xia Xu decided to sell his shares in Flying Boat Studio and use the money to establish a larger organization, including a biopharmaceutical company, as Blue Ocean Star entered a period of rapid change. Hong Bo asked to work for him, and Xia Xu agreed, though he warned that games would not be his main focus.

• Xia Xu reasoned that Blue Ocean Star was entering a turbulent era of transformation and that he needed money, influence, and an organization to keep pace.
• Xia Xu told Hong Bo he planned to sell his shares and build a company with resources to recruit talent and study the Werewolf Enhancement Serum.
• Hong Bo asked Xia Xu whether he could work for him after leaving Flying Boat Studio.
• Hong Bo's roommates questioned why he would leave the successful studio, but Hong Bo said he had achieved his goal of releasing a hit game and would keep his shares.
• Xia Xu welcomed Hong Bo but explained that he would not focus most of his energy on games, and Hong Bo said he had already considered the decision.

After learning that Catherine Aitchison had joined a company backed by the Andra Group, Xia Xu was suddenly attacked in his residential complex. A Tuo saved him and pursued the assailant, leaving Xia Xu to order the dog to kill him.

• Xia Xu thanked Hong Bo after Hong Bo agreed to his proposal, and they finished their celebratory dinner.
• Grant told Xia Xu that Catherine Aitchison had worked at Johns Hopkins University before joining the Carroll Medical Laboratory, whose financial backer was the Andra Group.
• As Xia Xu spoke with Grant, A Tuo suddenly knocked him down, allowing a throwing knife to fly past and strike a tree.
• Xia Xu took cover and sent A Tuo after the attacker; A Tuo dodged two knives and leaped onto a second-floor balcony.
• After hearing the attacker scream, Xia Xu ordered A Tuo to kill him.

Xia Xu returned to Luo Hongyun’s wrecked apartment and found Louise hiding in the ceiling after a group of attackers confronted her father. He took Louise to his own apartment, armed himself, and prepared to help Luo Hongyun while calling the police.

• Xia Xu suspected that attackers connected to the Night Owl storyline had targeted him and possibly Luo Hongyun.
• Xia Xu reached Luo Hongyun’s apartment and found its security door torn off and the interior destroyed.
• A Tuo led Xia Xu to Louise, who was hiding above the bathroom ceiling.
• Louise told Xia Xu that attackers had fought Luo Hongyun and that one of them seemed especially strong.
• Xia Xu took Louise to his apartment, hid her, and gathered weapons and protective gear before setting out to help Luo Hongyun.

Xia Xu discovered that armed attackers had returned to abduct Louise and were being led to his apartment by his landlady. After killing one attacker through the peephole, he prepared to fight the three remaining men as they tried keys in the lock.

• Xia Xu saw four armed foreigners escorting his landlady to his door and realized they were searching for Louise.
• One attacker killed the landlady after she handed over her keys.
• Xia Xu shot an attacker through the peephole with Grant’s explosive arrow, killing him.
• The three remaining attackers took cover, chambered their guns, and began trying the keys in the lock.
• Xia Xu freed A Tuo, drew his Miao Dao, and planned to kill the attackers as soon as they entered.

Xia Xu killed three armed assailants who broke into his room, with A Tuo saving him from the last one. After hiding Louise, Xia Xu followed A Tuo away from the residential complex to search for Luo Hongyun.

• Three assailants forced their way into Xia Xu's room and fired, but Xia Xu stayed outside their line of fire.
• Xia Xu used the Miao Dao to slash two assailants, and A Tuo killed the third before he could shoot.
• Xia Xu praised A Tuo, then hid Louise in a wardrobe and told her to stay quiet.
• Xia Xu took A Tuo to track Luo Hongyun, whose attackers had taken him away from the residential complex.
• A Tuo led Xia Xu to a stretch of unfinished building ruins.

Luo Hongyun fought a powerful bald man equipped with a mechanical Centipede Spine while the man’s allies searched for Louise. After realizing his opponent’s unnatural speed and strength came from the device, Luo Hongyun renewed his fighting spirit and launched an attack.

• The bald man taunted Luo Hongyun and revealed the mechanical Centipede Spine attached along his back.
• Luo Hongyun tried to escape the fight but decided he had to defeat the man to get back to Louise.
• The bald man used unnatural speed and force to counter Luo Hongyun’s kick and strike his thigh and forehead.
• Luo Hongyun suspected the Centipede Spine enhanced the man’s movements and reflected on how others had grown stronger.
• Luo Hongyun set aside his doubts and attacked the bald man, relying on technique and initiative.

Luo Hongyun’s fight with the burly white man turned against him after his stamina ran low, and he was badly injured despite crushing the man’s testicles. Xia Xu arrived to help, but as the burly man approached him, a pair of eerie green eyes appeared just behind the man.

• Luo Hongyun’s initial barrage wore him down, and the burly white man took control of their close-quarters fight.
• The burly white man taunted Luo Hongyun about his daughter, prompting Luo Hongyun to headbutt him and then knee him in the crotch.
• The enraged man slammed Luo Hongyun into the ground and punched him in the chest, leaving him unable to rise.
• Xia Xu shot arrows at the burly white man, who caught both of them, then revealed himself and spoke with the injured Luo Hongyun.
• As the burly white man reached toward Xia Xu’s neck, eerie green eyes appeared inches behind him.

Xia Xu and A Tuo used a surprise attack and careful harassment to put the wounded Kirkclough on the defensive, while Xia Xu discovered that Kirkclough’s Mechanical Centipede Spine amplified his movements by bypassing his body’s protective mechanisms. A Tuo vanished into the shadows, leaving Kirkclough bleeding and unable to relax, while Luo Hongyun questioned Xia Xu about the dog’s abilities.

• A Tuo ambushed Kirkclough from behind and badly wounded his neck, giving Xia Xu time to help Luo Hongyun retreat.
• A Tuo circled Kirkclough and dodged his attacks while Xia Xu fired an arrow to distract him, but Kirkclough’s strange movements let him evade A Tuo’s next lunge.
• Xia Xu used Attribute Viewing and learned that Kirkclough had a Mechanical Centipede Spine that boosted explosive power and movement by bypassing bodily safeguards.
• Xia Xu realized A Tuo could counter Kirkclough by forcing him to keep moving and attacking while his neck wound continued to bleed.
• A Tuo withdrew into the shadows, making Kirkclough more vigilant and leaving him exposed as he tried to guard against another ambush.
• Luo Hongyun asked how Xia Xu had trained A Tuo, and Xia Xu joked that the dog was naturally gifted before Luo took offense at the implication that he was worth less than two hundred thousand.

Xia Xu gave Luo Hongyun a pistol and explained that he had killed the four kidnappers searching for Louise. After waiting for Colclough to weaken, Luo Hongyun shot him, and Xia Xu went to loot his gear.

• Xia Xu discreetly handed Luo Hongyun a pistol and said he had taken it from the kidnappers.
• Xia Xu told Luo Hongyun that he had killed all four kidnappers who went to search for Louise, and Luo Hongyun accepted that she was safe.
• Luo Hongyun chose to wait while Colclough weakened from blood loss, giving A Tuo more time to keep him occupied.
• Colclough charged Xia Xu, but Luo Hongyun shot him and brought him down.
• Xia Xu sent A Tuo to confirm Colclough was dead, then ran over to loot his gear.

After rescuing Louise and defeating Kirkclough’s group, Xia Xu removed the Mechanical Centipede Spine and learned that Olivia was expected to return soon. Luo Hongyun reunited with Louise, praised Xia Xu for protecting her, and told him to say the bow had come from him when the police arrived.

• Xia Xu found the control button and removed the Mechanical Centipede Spine from Kirkclough, while Luo Hongyun advised him to have it checked for remote-control backdoors.
• Xia Xu read a newly revealed passage in Luo Hongyun’s fate profile and learned that Louise’s mother, Olivia, was coming to the Xia Kingdom.
• Xia Xu teased Luo Hongyun about romance, then hurried home with him and A Tuo.
• Luo Hongyun saw the four bandits’ bodies outside Xia Xu’s door and praised him for protecting Louise.
• Xia Xu opened the wardrobe, and Louise woke and threw herself into Luo Hongyun’s arms.
• When police sirens sounded outside, Luo Hongyun told Xia Xu to say the bow came from him and assured him the matter would not cause trouble.

After the mercenary attack, Xia Xu and Luo Hongyun were questioned by the police and treated as victims who had acted in self-defense. They left the station the next day, with the authorities still investigating the foreign organization that had targeted Louise.

• Xia Xu told police that he was a high school student and learned that his case had been taken over because it involved foreign forces.
• A square-faced officer discovered that Xia Xu had killed armed mercenaries and was shocked by how much his view of the student differed from the facts.
• The older officer assured Xia Xu that the mercenaries' guns made the incident clear self-defense, and the square-faced officer later told him to remain in Star City for questioning.
• Xia Xu left the station and reunited with Luo Hongyun, Louise, and A Tuo, then thanked A Tuo for protecting him.
• Xia Xu asked whether Luo Hongyun faced trouble over the compound bows and explosive arrows, and Luo Hongyun reassured him as they headed back.

After missing school while helping the police, Xia Xu rushed to class and explained his absence as an act of bravery, then surprised his classmates and Liu Xiulan with his fluent English. He thanked Tang Youxin for trying to request leave for him and encouraged her to stand up for herself, leaving them alone together after class.

• After settling Luo Hongyun and his daughter, Xia Xu treated A Tuo to a feast, realized it was Monday, and hurried to Star City No. 3 High School.
• When Liu Xiulan questioned Xia Xu's absence, Tang Youxin admitted that she had forgotten to request leave for him, and Xia Xu arrived to explain that he had been at the police station after an act of bravery.
• Liu Xiulan tested Xia Xu's English, and he answered fluently, impressing her and surprising his classmates.
• After class, Xia Xu teased Ma Bing about being a top student in disguise, while Ma Bing challenged him to solve the morning's math paper.
• Once the classroom emptied, Xia Xu thanked Tang Youxin for helping him and told her not to endure mistreatment for his sake; he then joked that she should be less introverted.

Xia Xu searched for signs that the “Superbrain” plot had begun while picking up Louise, and discovered a hidden plot character in a tree at Ivy Elementary School. He left without investigating further because Louise was with him, and returned home to Luo Hongyun.

• Liu Xiulan told Xia Xu that the monthly exams were next Monday and warned she would notify Tang Youxin’s parents if he failed any subject.
• Xia Xu visited Ivy Elementary School to check on Catherine and asked Yang Bowen to keep watching her.
• After picking up Louise, Xia Xu noticed A Tuo staring into a camphor tree and used Attribute Viewing to identify Hovagner as a supporting character in “Superbrain.”
• Xia Xu heard a cat cry from the tree but took Louise and A Tuo home without investigating.
• Luo Hongyun asked whether anything had happened, and Xia Xu assured him he would ask for help when needed.

Xia Xu examined Hovagner’s fate profile and learned that the Superbrain Project aimed to unlock human brain abilities through experiments, while the Andra Group appeared connected to several black-technology plots. He wondered what the older Transcendence Project involved before turning to the profile’s opening events.

• Xia Xu read the Superbrain Project files describing people with extraordinary memory, calculation, and other brain abilities.
• Xia Xu inferred that a scientist had found a way to bypass the brain’s protective limits and compared the project’s methods with the Mechanical Centipede Spine.
• Xia Xu connected Andra Group to the Superbrain and Night Owl plots, raising his suspicions about the company’s hidden influence.
• Xia Xu noticed the Transcendence Project files and wondered what research had led to the Superbrain Project.

After reading Hovagner’s plot synopsis, Xia Xu deduced that the assassin was about to kill a Superbrain Project researcher and that a brain-enhancing drug would soon fall into a protagonist’s hands. Realizing the assassination might happen within days—or even today—Xia Xu considered returning to save and recruit the researcher.

• Xia Xu read the synopsis about Hovagner taking a trophy from his target and arranging to sell it to a client.
• Xia Xu connected the trophy to a brain-enhancing drug created by the Superbrain Project and inferred that the researcher had left or betrayed the Andra Group.
• Xia Xu predicted that the protagonist would acquire the drug by chance and that Hovagner and the client would later pursue him.
• Xia Xu reasoned that Hovagner was likely close to killing the researcher and considered returning to intervene and recruit him.