Chapter Summaries

Lin Ruonan and Hu Feifei woke before dawn and went outside the cabin to relieve themselves, where Lin Ruonan was attacked by a strange figure. She escaped its grip by biting its wrist and stumbled toward the cabin door.

• Everyone in the cabin fell asleep at the same time despite the danger surrounding them.
• Hu Feifei woke Lin Ruonan and asked her to accompany her outside to use the bathroom.
• Lin Ruonan and Hu Feifei left the cabin quietly and stayed near its walls as dawn approached.
• Lin Ruonan saw a distorted figure behind her, then heard Hu Feifei call from the other side of the cabin and realized the figure was not Hu Feifei.
• Lin Ruonan shouted a warning and ran toward the cabin, but the figure grabbed her by the neck.
• Lin Ruonan bit the figure's wrist, escaped its grip, and stumbled toward the cabin door.

Lin Ruonan encountered a horrifying many-legged ghost inside the cabin, while the fake [Abyss] struggled through a blizzard toward a cave, hoping the thing at the summit could complete his soul. He reached the cave and lost consciousness inside.

• Lin Ruonan escaped into the cabin after a ghost that seemed afraid of pain, but a distorted, many-legged figure appeared beside the fire and confronted her.
• The fake [Abyss] recalled how Doctor Yi made him as a stand-in using spirit pupils and personality data, and how he came to realize he was not Qin Manjiang or [Abyss].
• The fake [Abyss] recognized the ghost story as [One]'s consciousness space and fled the other players, seeking the thing at the summit to make him whole.
• The fake [Abyss] collapsed in the snow, spotted a cave, and crawled inside before losing consciousness.

After Lin Ruonan died, Qin Manjiang and Xia Nan discovered a diary appearing on the back of her invitation, revealing [One]'s search for a missing sister and a disturbing journey into a hidden realm inside the snowy mountain. They were left with more questions about the mountain and its creatures when Wu Tiansheng called to them from outside the cabin.

• Xia Nan found Lin Ruonan dead, while Hu Feifei huddled in terror and repeated that a thing was responsible.
• Qin Manjiang took Lin Ruonan's invitation and found a diary appearing on its back; Xia Nan's invitation remained unchanged.
• Qin Manjiang and Xia Nan read that [One] had come to find a younger sister who disappeared after seeing a gigantic humanoid creature near the mountain.
• The diary described [One] entering a strange realm through the summit, where the landscape defied direction and an unseen native creature caused him to lose his sense of identity.
• Wu Tiansheng called out from outside the cabin, surprising Qin Manjiang and Xia Nan.

Qin Manjiang led the remaining climbers toward Snow Mountain’s summit while suspecting that Xia Nan and Wu Tiansheng were hiding something. The group found a human figure inside a snow cave, leaving its identity unknown.

• Wu Tiansheng arrived with a bleeding head and said Chen Xin had attacked him, though he later admitted he could not be sure it was Chen Xin.
• Qin Manjiang suspected Xia Nan’s actions had been connected to Lin Ruonan’s death and ordered the group to leave immediately.
• Hu Feifei chose to continue climbing despite her withdrawn and unstable state.
• Qin Manjiang, Xia Nan, Hu Feifei, and Wu Tiansheng resumed the climb, leaving Lin Ruonan’s body behind in the cabin.
• The group discovered a human figure inside a snow cave.

The group found the unconscious Abyss in the Snow Cave, and Wu Tiansheng recounted how Chen Xin attacked him after they examined Mom’s corpse. Qin Manjiang considered whether Wu or Chen Xin might be the vessel for One’s consciousness, leaving the group uncertain about who was driving the story.

• Qin Manjiang woke Abyss, recovered the Energy Bars from his coat, and shared them with the group.
• Wu Tiansheng described finding Mom’s corpse with Chen Xin in a wooden house and their theories about what had happened to her.
• Chen Xin reasoned that One’s consciousness might be among the Seven Children, and Wu Tiansheng attacked him with a club.
• Chen Xin dodged the blow, struck Wu Tiansheng with another club, and fled the wooden house while Wu escaped into a snow cave.
• Wu Tiansheng finished recounting his escape and told Qin Manjiang where he had sheltered during the blizzard.
• Qin Manjiang wondered whether Wu Tiansheng or Chen Xin was One’s vessel, and whether the revelation about One’s consciousness was meant to guide the players.

Qin Manjiang stayed behind with the sleeping [Abyss], discovered that he was a being created by Jiang Du, and considered giving him a name. Meanwhile, Chen Xin realized [One]'s consciousness could move among the [Seven Children] as he continued climbing the Snow Mountain to warn the others.

• Wu Tiansheng, Xia Nan, and Hu Feifei continued toward the summit while Qin Manjiang stayed behind with [Abyss].
• Qin Manjiang revealed that he had known [Abyss] was awake and asked why he had taken the supplies; [Abyss] said one person should carry them and reach the end for everyone.
• Qin Manjiang asked whether [Abyss] was one of Moon City's Old Ten Seats, and [Abyss] denied it, identifying himself only as Abyss.
• When Qin Manjiang mentioned Jiang Du, [Abyss] clutched his head and struggled to understand who he was; Qin Manjiang comforted him and offered to give him a name.
• Chen Xin climbed the Snow Mountain and realized [One]'s consciousness could move between the [Seven Children], each of whom could be [One].

In the Snow Cave, Qin Manjiang offered [Abyss] a name and learned that an outside voice had urged him to abandon the group. Qin Manjiang concluded that [One] was guiding the Seven Children toward death, and he and [Abyss] set out for the summit to uncover the memories [One] was avoiding.

• Qin Manjiang offered [Abyss] a name, and [Abyss] realized he wanted one despite never having had a name before.
• [Abyss] told Qin Manjiang that an unfamiliar voice had taken control of his actions and urged him to reach the summit alone.
• Qin Manjiang concluded that [One]'s consciousness was inside them and was leading the Seven Children to their deaths so [One] could become whole again.
• Qin Manjiang and [Abyss] considered that the false memories might be altered by [One]'s mind to avoid confronting painful memories.
• Qin Manjiang and [Abyss] agreed to reach the summit and uncover what [One] was avoiding.

As Xia Nan climbs Snow Mountain with Hu Feifei and Wu Tiansheng, he grows suspicious of Wu Tiansheng’s account and questions Hu Feifei’s strange behavior. When Spider Woman appears, Hu Feifei reveals a calm, perceptive side and walks toward her, leaving Xia Nan wondering why she chose to approach.

• Xia Nan suspects Wu Tiansheng lied about how Chen Xin injured him, based on the wound’s position and Wu Tiansheng’s likely reactions.
• Xia Nan considers whether Hu Feifei’s changed behavior stems from a ghost’s ability or deliberate deception.
• Snow begins to fall, and Xia Nan spots Spider Woman emerging from the slope where Wu Tiansheng went.
• Xia Nan pulls Hu Feifei behind a snowy slope, but Hu Feifei points out that their footprints have revealed their location.
• Hu Feifei lets Xia Nan release her hand, then calmly walks out toward Spider Woman.

Qin Manjiang and Abyss reasoned that changing the spirit world's plot brought them closer to the true memories and Spider Woman, and decided they needed to approach her despite their fear. They met Chen Xin on the mountain, learned that [One]'s consciousness had possessed Wu Tiansheng, and Qin Manjiang suggested Spider Woman might be [One]'s younger sister.

• Qin Manjiang explained to Abyss that [One] embellished the [Seven Children]'s memories because he could not fully control them, and that plot changes drew Spider Woman closer.
• Abyss concluded they needed to change the plot as much as possible and overcome their fear to approach Spider Woman.
• Qin Manjiang and Abyss encountered Chen Xin climbing the mountain, and Chen Xin warned them that [One]'s consciousness was controlling Wu Tiansheng.
• Chen Xin recounted how he sensed [One]'s presence in Wu Tiansheng after touching Mom's corpse, then dodged Wu Tiansheng's attack and escaped.
• Chen Xin questioned who the ghost was, and Qin Manjiang told him Spider Woman might be [One]'s younger sister.

Hu Feifei approached Spider Woman after realizing a Giant Ghost at Snow Mountain’s summit was the source of the curse, and that [One]'s consciousness had protected her from it. The chapter ended with Spider Woman killing Hu Feifei as Xia Nan watched.

• Hu Feifei recalled that [One]'s consciousness had possessed her after she touched a corpse and had spoken through her during two [Plot Enactments].
• Hu Feifei concluded that the enormous Giant Ghost at Snow Mountain’s summit had cursed Lin Ruonan and had warped [One] and Spider Woman’s Spirit Worlds.
• Hu Feifei believed approaching Spider Woman could make [One] face reality and wake from his Spirit World, while Xia Nan watched and questioned whether Spider Woman was the Path to Survival.
• Hu Feifei approached Spider Woman and raised her hand to touch it.
• Spider Woman lifted its head, revealed its black-eyed smile, and severed Hu Feifei’s head as Xia Nan watched her die.

After Spider Woman killed Hu Feifei, Xia Nan fled and considered how to survive, while Qin Manjiang concluded that the group was inside overlapping spirit worlds tied to [One] and [Wu Tiansheng]. The chapter ended with Qin Manjiang withholding his strongest evidence: Xia Nan’s vanished consciousness after the group entered the Ghost Story World.

• Xia Nan saw Hu Feifei’s severed head and suspected Wu Tiansheng had triggered Spider Woman’s appearance, then fled and told Wu Tiansheng to split up.
• Xia Nan saw Spider Woman pursuing him and reasoned that approaching it might be part of the survival path, though he considered climbing to the summit if he found no answer.
• Qin Manjiang noticed the snowfall had stopped and saw text appear on his [Invitation Letter], confirming Hu Feifei’s death.
• Qin Manjiang told Chen Xin and Abyss that they were not real people and proposed that the seven players occupied simultaneous, nested spirit worlds, with Wu Tiansheng’s dream layered inside [One]’s spirit world.
• Qin Manjiang connected Spider Woman’s dream-related ability to the nested spirit worlds but kept to himself that Li Xijiu’s consciousness had disappeared from Xia Nan after they entered the Ghost Story World.

Qin Manjiang explained to Chen Xin that the intermittent snow marked when [One] could monitor their thoughts, and urged him to act during the pause. He revealed that he and [Abyss] were both Qin Manjiang, warned that two outsiders might be targeting Fu City Eye Realm players, and said he trusted Yan Xiao’s promise to keep them alive.

• Qin Manjiang argued that the snow stopped whenever a player died, leaving a brief window when [One] could not observe them.
• Chen Xin rejected Qin Manjiang’s apparent acceptance of Hu Feifei’s death as useful and started to leave.
• Qin Manjiang removed his mask, revealing a face identical to [Abyss], and told Chen Xin that they were both Qin Manjiang.
• Qin Manjiang warned that two outsiders seemed to be searching for someone and might be responsible for missing players in Fu City Eye Realm.
• Qin Manjiang said Yan Xiao had promised that everyone in Fu City Eye Realm would survive, and explained that he wanted the players to die inside the Ghost Story Game rather than in the real world.

Qin Manjiang explained that clearing the game might require killing players until [One] had only one body left, but Chen Xin’s reasoning raised a new question about Wu Tiansheng’s survival path. Abyss revealed that he had touched his own skin before [One] possessed him, leaving Qin Manjiang and Chen Xin wondering whether Abyss’s body was already a corpse.

• Qin Manjiang told Chen Xin and Abyss that they needed to find the body possessed by [One] and bring it to Spider Woman, but explained why they could not control [One].
• Qin Manjiang proposed eliminating the players until only one remained alongside Wu Tiansheng, and Chen Xin confirmed that touching a corpse had triggered [One]’s possession of him.
• Chen Xin suggested that players might survive deaths caused by other players, and Qin Manjiang realized he should have tested this by killing them himself.
• Qin Manjiang asked whether [One] had possessed Abyss when Abyss ran off with the Energy Bars, and Abyss confirmed that it had.
• Abyss revealed that he had wiped his eyes with his bare hand, prompting Qin Manjiang and Chen Xin to wonder whether his body was a corpse.

Qin Manjiang and Chen Xin realized [One] had possessed Abyss and exposed his disguise, prompting him to transform into a powerful Vengeful Ghost and hunt them. Meanwhile, Xia Nan fled alone and concluded that the Players needed to carry [One]'s consciousness inside them to pass through Spider Woman, but he did not know how to trap it.

• Abyss removed his gloves, allowing [One]'s consciousness to enter his body, while Wu Tiansheng found himself under [One]'s control and fled uphill with Spider Woman chasing him.
• [One] questioned Qin Manjiang, realized the group had seen through his disguise, and transformed Abyss's body into a towering Vengeful Ghost.
• Qin Manjiang and Chen Xin ran in separate directions as [One] pursued them, and Qin Manjiang deliberately led the ghost down the mountain.
• Xia Nan rested on a rock, reflected on Hu Feifei's death, and reasoned that the Players needed [One]'s consciousness within them to approach Spider Woman.
• Xia Nan wondered how he could imprison [One]'s consciousness inside his own body.

Xia Nan slipped over a snowy cliff and was left hanging above it, unable to tell whether anyone who passed was human or a ghost. Three minutes earlier, Qin Manjiang had tricked [One] into possessing him by touching the Flesh, leaving [One] trapped inside his body.

• Xia Nan and Wu Tiansheng heard a terrifying cry from farther down the mountain and hurried toward the summit.
• Xia Nan slipped on loose snow at a resting platform and ended up hanging from the cliff edge.
• Xia Nan realized he could not see who approached and feared that a ghost, or Wu Tiansheng, might find him before he could hold on any longer.
• Three minutes earlier, Qin Manjiang led [One] along remote, dangerous paths until he was nearly out of stamina.
• Qin Manjiang took the Flesh from his pocket and touched it with his bare hand, taunting [One] about its compulsory possession.
• [One] entered Qin Manjiang's body, and an unseen voice welcomed him.

Xia Nan was rescued from the cliff by Wu Tiansheng, but Spider Woman continued pursuing them up the mountain. Xia Nan drew the ghost to the left while Wu Tiansheng raced toward Snow Summit, leaving their chances of survival dependent on whether he could reach the finish in time.

• Wu Tiansheng pulled Xia Nan up from the cliff, and Xia Nan asked why the ghost had appeared behind Wu Tiansheng.
• Wu Tiansheng said his awareness had been hazy, then spotted Spider Woman climbing toward them.
• Xia Nan and Wu Tiansheng ran toward Snow Summit, but the steep final stretch threatened to let Spider Woman catch them.
• Xia Nan split off to the left while Wu Tiansheng stripped off his bulky clothes and vowed to reach the summit within fifteen minutes.
• Wu Tiansheng raced ahead as Xia Nan drew Spider Woman toward himself to buy him time.

Qin Manjiang deduced how [One] moved between bodies and why it feared the being on Snow Summit. He stalled [One] to keep it from returning to Wu Tiansheng, whom Qin Manjiang believed was the only one able to reach the summit and clear the game.

• [One] tried to take control of Qin Manjiang's body but found Jiang Du waiting inside it and could not gain full control.
• Qin Manjiang explained that [One] entered people when they touched corpses, and that Wu Tiansheng's corpse had activated its consciousness.
• Qin Manjiang deduced that Wu Tiansheng was [One]'s permanent vessel and that [One] had attacked Chen Xin to conceal how possession worked.
• Qin Manjiang revealed his belief that Lin Ruonan had not been killed by Spider Woman and that a powerful being on Snow Summit was the true horror behind the spirit world.
• [One] realized Qin Manjiang was stalling, but Qin Manjiang called for Chen Xin to switch bodies and keep [One] locked up.

Qin Manjiang escaped with Abyss after [One] took control of Chen Xin, while Xia Nan used an avalanche to stop Spider Woman from catching him. Xia Nan survived the burial beneath the snow, but his fate and Spider Woman’s remained unknown.

• [One] took control of Chen Xin and tried to pursue Qin Manjiang, but Chen Xin’s tied shoelaces made him fall.
• Xia Nan led Spider Woman away from Wu Tiansheng, then slid down a steep slope to escape her.
• Spider Woman pursued Xia Nan down the slope, and he noticed the snow trembling on the mountainside.
• Xia Nan shouted to trigger an avalanche, which buried Spider Woman and swept him under the snow as well.
• Xia Nan freed his chest enough to breathe and survived beneath the snow.

Wu Tiansheng raced to the summit while Qin Manjiang, Abyss, Chen Xin, and Xia Nan risked themselves to keep [One] from returning to him. After climbing the sheer cliff, Wu Tiansheng reached the glowing point at the summit and tried to touch it, hoping he could still save Xia Nan.

• Wu Tiansheng heard Xia Nan scream and rushed toward the summit cliff as an avalanche swept through the snow.
• Qin Manjiang, Abyss, Chen Xin, and Xia Nan each took turns containing [One] to buy Wu Tiansheng time.
• Wu Tiansheng climbed the cliff despite crosswinds, exhaustion, and the lack of handholds near the summit.
• Wu Tiansheng reached the summit and spotted a basketball-sized point of light resembling the route-map lines.
• Wu Tiansheng crawled toward the point of light and reached out to touch it, hoping Xia Nan could still be saved.

Wu Tiansheng brought the group out of [One]’s Spirit World, but the Game continued on the Snow Summit, where a colossal Vengeful Ghost seized them. Jiang Du and Li Xijiu used an [Eye Realm] Phone and a living eyeball to trigger the [Eye Realm]’s intervention, and the group lost consciousness as the pupils in the sky burst into blood.

• Wu Tiansheng awakened on the Snow Summit with Qin Manjiang, Chen Xin, and Xia Nan, and they found Lin Ruonan and Hu Feifei dead.
• [One] emerged from the snow as a lifeless, ruined corpse, while the Game remained uncleared.
• A vast presence transformed the summit into a strange landscape, and an enormous ghost hand lifted the five toward the Giant Ghost’s mouth.
• Jiang Du took control of Qin Manjiang and produced an [Eye Realm] Phone, while Li Xijiu took control of Xia Nan and threw a living eyeball into the Giant Ghost’s mouth.
• The [Eye Realm]’s pupils appeared in the sky, and the Game announced that “Seven Children” was cleared, but the five remained suspended as the pupils faced the Giant Ghost.
• The five lost consciousness before receiving a settlement; Qin Manjiang glimpsed the pupils bursting into blood while the Giant Ghost remained standing on the summit.