Chapter Summaries

Xu Le woke wounded in a strange cabin, discovered that focused observation revealed warnings about darkness and anomalies, and lit a fire to keep the room safe. The flames then warned him that the corpse would become an anomaly and that the Red Moon Calamity would begin in just over two days.

• Xu Le woke in a dilapidated cabin beside a bloodied corpse and saw a warning that a level 1 anomaly would appear if the building stayed dark.
• Xu Le examined his wound and the room, then found that focusing on things let him see strange information, including a countdown to an anomaly.
• Xu Le realized the room needed more light and used the corpse's clothes and the backpack to start a fire that raised the light level and temporarily stabilized the building.
• Xu Le tried to resume writing, but the fire turned green and revealed that the corpse would become a level 1 anomaly and another anomaly would appear at midnight.
• Xu Le learned that the Red Moon Calamity would begin in two days, leaving him stunned.

Xu Le prepared to face Old Zhou’s corpse as it mutated into a level 1 oddity, using fire, a dagger, and a firearm to defend himself. He killed the living corpse with a point-blank shot, then questioned how easily the fight had ended.

• Xu Le controlled his anger after the flame warned him that anger would attract fierce species, then cleared the house and prepared his weapons for the coming oddities.
• Xu Le recalled that Old Zhou’s corpse would mutate, but found the spilled kerosene unusable and arranged fires around the body instead of moving it.
• A whisper asked Xu Le whether he was still looking for help and said it needed offerings, but it fell silent when he asked what counted as an offering.
• Old Zhou’s corpse rose as a living corpse, twisted around, and stretched an arm toward Xu Le like a tentacle.
• Xu Le pinned the living corpse’s claw to the bed with his dagger, kicked it back, and shot it in the forehead at close range.

Xu Le killed Old Zhou, but a second anomaly trapped him in a suffocating hallucination and left him facing death. As the invisible Old Zhou approached, Xu Le called out that he had an offering and begged for help.

• Xu Le wrote and erased a postbattle report, then prepared his musket and waited for the second anomaly to appear.
• After midnight passed without a warning or an attack, Xu Le ate, drank, and stayed awake while repeatedly spotting the same rat in the doorway.
• The rat's repeated appearances made Xu Le suspicious, and he fired at it when a suffocating sensation overwhelmed him.
• The shot restored the warning prompts and eased Xu Le's breathing, but an intangible Old Zhou appeared and approached him.
• Unable to harm the anomaly and struggling to breathe, Xu Le shouted that he had an offering and asked for help.

Xu Le encountered the Croak-Golden Toad, an ancient god that agreed to kill a ghost in exchange for an offering. After the toad devoured the ghost, Xu Le faced pressure to hand over the promised offering, though he still did not know what it was.

• Xu Le realized the giant toad was asking for an offering and promised to give it one in exchange for help.
• Xu Le offered earthworms as an extra offering, and the Croak-Golden Toad accepted.
• The Croak-Golden Toad used its steel fork and foul breath to defeat the ghost, then ate it.
• The toad asked Xu Le for his offering, and Xu Le asked whether it could take the offering itself.
• The Croak-Golden Toad suspected Xu Le was unwilling and stepped closer, putting him under pressure.

Xu Le accepted the Golden Toad as his shikigami and discovered a relic on Old Zhou’s body that revealed how the original Xu Le had betrayed and killed Zhou Ke over a Seed of Gundo. The relic could strengthen Xu Le, but only if he fulfilled Zhou Ke’s final wish.

• Xu Le admitted he did not know how to offer tribute, then used an uncanny, menacing voice to make the Golden Toad accept a mark and protect him until dawn.
• Xu Le found a medal on Old Zhou’s corpse and learned it was a Veteran’s Soul relic that required him to fulfill Zhou Ke’s final wish.
• The relic’s memories showed that Zhou Ke and the original Xu Le had discovered a Seed of Gundo, which Zhou Ke carefully retrieved.
• The original Xu Le stabbed Zhou Ke, took the Seed, and refused his plea to spare his wife and Tingting.
• After the original Xu Le’s gun misfired, Zhou Ke disarmed him and shot him dead.

After discovering the medal was a supernatural relic tied to Zhou Ke’s last wish, Xu Le vowed to help Zhou Ke’s wife and daughter. Exhausted from his injuries, Xu Le passed out and awoke within a strange vision, where he approached a distant light and saw what appeared to be a tree.

• Xu Le examined Zhou Ke’s medal and learned about Lighthouse, the other human safe zones, and the supernatural relic connected to Guyinduo.
• Xu Le apologized to Zhou Ke’s body and defended the need to use objects contaminated by Guyinduo to Golden Toad.
• Xu Le saw the medal turn black and sprout tiny tentacles, then held it and promised to fulfill Zhou Ke’s last wish.
• Xu Le wondered how to face Zhou Ke’s wife and daughter before exhaustion and blood loss knocked him unconscious.
• Xu Le became lucid in a dark vision, walked toward a distant light, and saw what looked like a tree.

Xu Le discovered that he could control the Guyinduo Soul Tree in his dream and identified its fruits as fear, anger, and lust. The Golden Toad took a fruit of lust as tribute, and Xu Le woke from the dream overwhelmed by fatigue.

• Xu Le connected with the glowing tree and learned to move its branches by raising his hand.
• Xu Le identified the tree as the Guyinduo Soul Tree and found fruits of fear, anger, and lust among its branches.
• Xu Le wondered whether the many fruits of lust reflected the original owner's experiences and suspected the Golden Toad wanted Guyinduo fruit.
• The Golden Toad's tongue appeared, and Xu Le offered it a fruit of lust, which it carried away.
• Xu Le decided not to eat the remaining fruits until he learned how, then returned a fruit of fear and succumbed to exhaustion.

Xu Le woke in the ruins and was confronted by a squad of Night Watchers who suspected he had been contaminated by Guyinduo. As the squad debated killing him, Xu Le tried to prove he was clean and useful, ending by declaring that he was not contaminated.

• Xu Le woke to find a Night Watcher at the doorway and confirmed that his medal was still in his pocket.
• The Night Watcher’s six companions arrived, and the squad’s Boss questioned whether Xu Le was contaminated.
• Wang Shu examined Xu Le and reported traces of Ancient Yin Duo Energy, a firearm wound, and signs that he had encountered several Oddities.
• The squad members argued that Xu Le was too risky to bring back and should be killed on the spot.
• Xu Le focused on proving his innocence and value, then declared, “I, Xu Le, am not contaminated.”

Xu Le used his knowledge of Lighthouse law and his ability to detect an oddity fragment to convince the Night Watchers that he was worth hearing out. Captain Bai Jing accepted his explanation but still expected him to endure a thorough examination, then tested his composure with a question about falsifying expenses.

• Xu Le told Wang Shu that a hidden Guyinduo fragment clung to his left leg, and Wang Shu confirmed its exact location with the captain’s mirror.
• Bai Jing acknowledged Xu Le’s discovery and let him explain himself.
• Xu Le cited Lighthouse law and his willingness to undergo a thorough examination to argue that he was human and deserved a chance to prove his innocence.
• Bai Jing introduced herself as captain of the Night Watchers’ Dark Pioneers Sixth Squad in B2 District, and Xu Le gave his name.
• Bai Jing asked Xu Le how much to claim for a gun and two magazines, and Xu Le hesitantly answered, “459?”

Xu Le persuaded Bai Jing to take him back to Lighthouse with the Night Watchers, though he remained wary of the screening and monitoring that awaited him. As the team’s steam warcar headed for the city, Bai Jing ordered everyone to keep Xu Le’s ability secret.

• Bai Jing decided to bring Xu Le along despite her team members’ objections, and she justified the choice by pointing to his talent and clear thinking.
• Bai Jing ordered the Pioneers to burn the corpse and belongings, and Xu Le let them destroy the items while reflecting on Old Zhou’s death and his own secret.
• Xu Le left the cabin and followed the Pioneers through the countryside toward their vehicle.
• Bai Jing warned the team to deny that anything had happened and to keep Xu Le’s ability secret.
• Bai Jing helped Xu Le aboard an R6 Steam Warcar, which then set off toward Lighthouse.

Xu Le traveled with Bai Jing toward the Lighthouse, where she confronted him about the murder and confiscated his dagger. The vehicle reached the city wall, and Bai Jing’s team reported back to the Lighthouse Guards.

• Xu Le saw abandoned towns and old railways from the steam vehicle as Bai Jing offered him water.
• Bai Jing pressed Xu Le about his gunshot wound, the dead man’s dagger wound, and the dagger she said would be confiscated.
• Bai Jing told Xu Le that his ability to see Guyinduo pollution and kill an Oddity meant he was no longer ordinary, while Xu Le answered with a saying about uncertainty.
• Xu Le viewed the Lighthouse’s prosperous Upper City and impoverished Lower City, then asked what awaited him; Bai Jing told him to grit his teeth and survive.
• The steam vehicle stopped at the city wall, where Bai Jing and her team reported back to the Lighthouse Guards.

Xu Le underwent Lighthouse’s screening after Bai Jing left him with the guards, and his unusual reaction to a Psyche Worm caused the inspection to raise an alarm. The chapter ended as a gray-robed Warlock arrived and the guard identified Xu Le as the cause of the disturbance.

• Bai Jing told the guards to give Xu Le a thorough inspection, then left with her group.
• Xu Le told the guard he was an international student from Zion, and the guard took him to an outer-wall screening station.
• The guard placed a Psyche Worm on Xu Le’s back, and the worm shriveled each time it touched him.
• The guard sounded the alarm and warned Xu Le not to move.
• A gray-robed Warlock arrived, and the guard pointed out Xu Le.

Xu Le underwent a Psyche Test after a Psyche Worm withered on contact with him, revealing a connection to the Guyinduo Soul Tree. Warlock Gan cleared him as psychologically normal but said more tests remained.

• Gan examined the Psyche Worm and watched it die when he placed it on Xu Le’s chest, while Xu Le recognized the sensation of the Guyinduo Soul Tree.
• Gan asked Xu Le about the previous night, and Xu Le described encountering Oddities with Old Zhou while claiming Old Zhou had sacrificed himself to save him.
• Gan reviewed records about Xu Le and Zhou Ke, then stopped a guard from shooting a black cat because the Black Tide was coming the next night.
• Gan told Xu Le he had passed the Psyche Test and suggested his unusual psyche might be an innate ability.
• Gan introduced himself as a Medium and told Xu Le that he still had many other tests to undergo.

After surviving the Guard Hall’s brutal tests, Xu Le returned safely to his home in Lighthouse’s lower district. There, he found the Disaster Warlock-Flame LV1 Advancement Manual and opened it.

• Xu Le underwent physical, impact-response, and soul-interrogation examinations at the Guard Hall before the guards cleared him.
• Xu Le left the outpost, joked with a black cat and a stray dog in an alley, and celebrated being back among people.
• Xu Le walked home through the lower district and carefully lit a lamp before entering his dark room.
• Xu Le retrieved an old notebook and found the Disaster Warlock-Flame LV1 Advancement Manual on its first page.

Xu Le read the Flame Secret Sorcerer advancement manual and questioned whether its dangerous sacrificial method was genuine. That night, he saw the moon turn red and learned the Red Moon Calamity would arrive in a day and an hour, leading him to suspect it was the Guyinduo black tide.

• Xu Le reread the notebook’s requirements for advancing to Flame Secret Sorcerer, including consuming a Guyinduo product, wearing a wreath of Flame Flowers, and bathing in fire.
• Xu Le doubted the manual’s authenticity and reflected on how the original owner had killed Old Zhou to steal the Seed of Gundo.
• Xu Le noticed the passage below his window was covered in crumpled paper and wondered about the original owner’s lust fruits and forgotten memories.
• Xu Le felt an intense heat, saw the moon turn blood-red, and received a countdown to the Red Moon Calamity.
• Xu Le connected the approaching calamity to the Guyinduo black tide expected the following night.

Xu Le prepared for the looming Red Moon Calamity and went to tell Zhou Ke’s family about what had happened to him. The chapter ended with Zhou Ke’s wife breaking down and Zhou Tingting realizing her father might be dead.

• Xu Le suspected the coming Red Moon Calamity was more dangerous than the usual Black Tide and decided to prepare.
• Xu Le went through Lighthouse’s crowded lower-city streets, where residents bought supplies to defend their homes.
• Xu Le recalled how he and Zhou Ke had become partners in trips outside the city and how their search for profit had ended in betrayal over a Guyinduo Fruit.
• Xu Le visited Zhou Ke’s home and met Zhou Ke’s wife and daughter, Zhou Tingting.
• Zhou Ke’s wife began sobbing when Xu Le hinted at why he had come, and Zhou Tingting asked whether her father was dead.

Xu Le told Zhou Ke’s family that he had died and fabricated promises of relocation and compensation to fulfill Old Zhou’s dying wish. After leaving, Xu Le resolved to become a warlock and felt the Veteran Medal changing his strength and perception.

• Xu Le told Zhou Tingting and her mother that Zhou Ke had died heroically, and Zhou Tingting broke down in grief.
• Xu Le promised the family a standard apartment and 8,125 yuan in compensation, collecting strands of their hair to make the supposed contract official.
• Xu Le left the house while acting disdainful, then admitted to himself that the company, compensation, and insurance were all fabricated.
• Xu Le planned to become a warlock to provide for Zhou Ke’s family, with seeking Bai Jing’s help or selling a Guyinduo Fruit as alternatives.
• Xu Le felt warmth surge through his body as the Veteran Medal changed, increasing his strength and sharpening his perception.

Xu Le traveled from the Lower City toward Lighthouse University after the Veteran’s Soul strengthened him, but a bridge guard stopped him because of his Night Dweller’s mark. Gan intervened and escorted him into the Upper City, leaving Xu Le wondering whether Gan could verify a Flame Secret Sorcerer advancement manual.

• Xu Le discovered that the Veteran’s Soul had improved his physical attributes and resolved to fulfill Old Zhou’s last wish while staying alive.
• With no money for a ride, Xu Le walked through the Lower City toward the Suspension Bridge as a broadcast warned that the Guyinduo dark tide would arrive at midnight.
• A guard denied Xu Le entry to the Upper City because he was a Night Dweller and demanded official certification.
• A black cat appeared on the Suspension Bridge, and Xu Le recognized it as the cat whose presence seemed to precede trouble.
• Gan arrived, showed his credentials, and persuaded the guard to let Xu Le cross with him.
• Xu Le thanked Gan and considered asking him whether the Flame Secret Sorcerer’s advancement manual was genuine.

Xu Le asked Gan about the Disaster Warlock Ascension manual and learned that Warlocks could ascend through faith, ritual, or sacrifice, but Gan withheld further guidance. At Lighthouse University, Xu Le tried to earn money by offering Li Mo a fortune, then watched his warning come true when Li Mo tripped and injured himself.

• Xu Le asked Gan for guidance about the Disaster Warlock Ascension manual, and Gan confirmed its method was real but warned that the sacrifice path was difficult.
• Gan named the faith, ritual, and sacrifice paths, then said a Warlock's guidance was expensive and left Xu Le with a cryptic message about doing good deeds and averting calamities.
• Xu Le reached Lighthouse University and saw that the Red Moon Calamity would descend in six hours and thirty-six minutes.
• Hungry and broke, Xu Le offered to tell Li Mo's fortune for one dollar and warned that Li Mo would suffer a bloody disaster within three days.
• Li Mo tripped over his suitcase and struck his head on a stone bollard, leaving Xu Le and the nearby students stunned.

Xu Le witnessed a ghost kill a student as Lighthouse University prepared for a dangerous Guyinduo black tide, then retrieved a sword and explosives from his dorm. A system warning revealed that a corpse inside the safe zone would become a level 1 oddity in 15 seconds.

• Xu Le refused Li Mo's five dollars after sensing that taking the money would cause something to happen.
• Vice Chancellor Mo Lan warned students that the Guyinduo black tide could become uncontrollable and ordered them to gather in classroom zones A, B, and C.
• Xu Le saw Five Heads kill a male student and devour his soul, but the ghost flew away before Xu Le confronted it.
• Xu Le found a Standard-Issue Guard Sword and two lumps of phosphorus fire beneath his bed in Building 18, room 202.
• Xu Le received a notification that a corpse in the safe zone would turn into a level 1 oddity in 15 seconds.