Chapter Summaries

Gu Qing defeated Wu Jiahao, Liu Yue, and the other test participants, then recognized his weak mental strength as a danger and sought to build ties with Liu Yue and Wu Jiahao. A cargo pickup arrived at the test site, leaving the next development unclear.

• Wu Jiahao and Liu Yue attacked Gu Qing with poison and mental power, but Gu Qing beat them both.
• The other test participants joined the attack, and Gu Qing knocked them all down before forcing Wu Jiahao to surrender.
• He Haikun and the recruitment supervisor watched the footage and debated Gu Qing's physical strength and prospects for awakening.
• Gu Qing realized that his mental strength left him vulnerable, apologized to Liu Yue, and helped her up so he could build a connection with her.
• Gu Qing offered Wu Jiahao a friendly hand, and Wu Jiahao accepted while promising to fight him again.
• A cargo pickup truck drove up and stopped beside the test participants.

After the recruitment test, Gu Qing learned that the Night Court would register the recruits and offer resources in exchange for supernatural items, but he kept quiet about any such item. He found out that Zhou Yuan had joined the R&D Department, then met Jiang Wanqiao, who heard that Gu Qing had dominated the test.

• The staff member ended the test after Gu Qing knocked down all eleven other participants and explained that rankings and immediate rewards did not matter.
• Wu Jiahao and Liu Yue were summoned to meet Deacon Tian, while Gu Qing wondered whether the Night Court favored Supernatural Awakened over Paranormal Contacts.
• The staff member advised the recruits to submit confirmed supernatural items for appraisal and possible resources, but Gu Qing said he had never found one.
• Gu Qing asked about Zhou Yuan and learned that he had joined the R&D Department and could be contacted through the internal app after Gu Qing officially joined.
• Gu Qing toured the Night Court Base with the other newcomers and ran into Jiang Wanqiao, where a fellow recruit boasted that Gu Qing had dominated two Supernatural Awakened.

Gu Qing learned from Lin Tianyang that powerful Ratmen could inflict deadly injuries and that the Night Court needed Zhou Yuan’s Universal Antitoxin Vaccine to counter their venom. After confirming he had taken first place in the Comprehensive Test, Gu Qing remained at the medical building while his injured partner was treated.

• Jiang Wanqiao offered to show Gu Qing and the others around the Night Court base, and Gu Qing asked about her Magical Girl interests, making her fear he had recognized her livestream persona.
• Lin Tianyang arrived carrying his partner, whose leg a Ratman had bitten off, and Gu Qing followed him into the medical building.
• Lin Tianyang explained that Ratmen were plague-mutated monsters and warned Gu Qing that core Ratman followers were far stronger than low-level rat slaves.
• Gu Qing asked whether Zhou Yuan’s Universal Antitoxin Vaccine could counter rat venom and whether the Ratmen had targeted Zhou Yuan because of his research; Lin Tianyang confirmed both points.
• Lin Tianyang asked whether Gu Qing had won the final Comprehensive Test, and Gu Qing said that he had taken first place.

Gu Qing learned more about the Night Court’s captains and discovered that Bai Ningyu had joined as a Supernatural Awakened, though her contact details were hidden. He also witnessed veteran agent Old Liang recover from a severed leg, but the injury left him facing retirement from fieldwork.

• Lin Tianyang told Gu Qing that Captain Liu Zhiyi was among Haicheng’s strongest captains and described Ghost Hand, a powerful captain with a deformed arm.
• Lin Tianyang confirmed that Bai Ningyu was a Supernatural Awakened mentored by Ghost Hand, but he could not find her account on the Night Court app.
• Old Liang left the hospital room with a prosthetic after a healer closed the wound from his severed leg.
• Old Liang told Lin Tianyang that losing his leg meant he could finally move to a support role, though he showed pain at leaving fieldwork.
• Old Liang noticed Gu Qing and asked Lin Tianyang whether he was the new recruit.

After leaving the Night Court base, Gu Qing arranged buffet dates with Huang Xiaoyue and Xia Shuran, secretly choosing Huang Xiaoyue because he hoped to gain attributes from her [Feces] tag. Xia Shuran then began finding discounted barbecue coupons for him.

• Gu Qing left the Medical Building after confirming Uncle Liang had been treated, and Jiang Wanqiao escorted him to the Night Court base gate.
• During his ride back to Haicheng University, Gu Qing read messages from Xia Shuran and Huang Xiaoyue and arranged to take Huang Xiaoyue to a buffet the next evening.
• Gu Qing planned to use the outing with Huang Xiaoyue to farm attributes from her [Feces] tag, while judging her flirtatious messages as lecherous.
• Gu Qing arranged a second buffet outing with Xia Shuran for the following evening and asked her to find discounted coupons for a barbecue buffet.
• Xia Shuran contacted a scalper to buy two half-price coupons for Meizizi Barbecue, and the scalper quoted sixty yuan.

Deacon Tian assigned He Haikun to eliminate the Ratman near Haicheng University, while Lin Tianyang was told to partner with Gu Qing. On the road, He Haikun was confronted by the Fox Woman, who demanded he capture a popular boy band for her and her sisters.

• Lin Tianyang reported Liang's injury and the Ratman's poison to Deacon Tian, who approved him time off and assigned Gu Qing as his new partner.
• Deacon Tian ordered He Haikun to kill the Ratman near Haicheng University and contacted the R&D Department about a stronger antitoxin.
• He Haikun resented Lin Tianyang and drove toward the outpost, intent on killing the Ratman and advancing to captain.
• A Fox Woman appeared in He Haikun's car and demanded that he capture the Peach-Pink Boy Band within three days as cultivation vessels.
• He Haikun suggested targeting a less famous group, but the Fox Woman mocked him and insisted he stage the band's deaths if necessary.

Gu Qing reunited with Xia Shuran at Haicheng University, where they shared milk tea and cookies as subtle signs of supernatural disturbances appeared around them. Beneath the campus, Huang Xiaoyue fed a supernatural thigh to a human-faced rat, while the tremor and rippling reflections hinted that danger was approaching.

• He Haikun promised the Fox Woman he would deliver young men within three days, then vented his anger by kicking apart a roadside rock face.
• Gu Qing returned to Haicheng University and messaged Xia Shuran, who brought him homemade milk tea and cookies at the sports field.
• Xia Shuran noticed a window reflection that remained behind after she walked away, while Gu Qing and Xia Shuran later felt a faint tremor.
• Gu Qing noticed Xia Shuran's outline ripple in the evening breeze, suggesting that something about her was unusual.
• Huang Xiaoyue brought a supernatural thigh to the human-faced rat beneath Haicheng University, and the rat devoured it as the surrounding rats fought over its waste.

Gu Qing spent Tuesday relaxing before taking Huang Xiaoyue to an all-you-can-eat barbecue, hoping to acquire the attributes of her [Feces] tag. As they left together, Xia Shuran saw them, grew jealous and insecure, and walked away without speaking to Gu Qing.

• The Man-Faced Rat and Huang Xiaoyue trembled before a powerful creature evolving deep in the cavern, which planned to emerge and devour the surface once it became an Advanced Creature.
• Gu Qing considered whether his casual acquaintance with Huang Xiaoyue was enough to trigger the attribute acquisition mechanism for her [Feces] tag.
• After an earthquake shook the dorm, Gu Qing dismissed it and later went to meet Huang Xiaoyue for their planned barbecue date.
• Huang Xiaoyue flirted with Gu Qing and suggested they go somewhere deserted after dinner, while Gu Qing focused on grinding her tag's attributes.
• Xia Shuran saw Gu Qing leave with Huang Xiaoyue and, feeling jealous and inadequate, returned to the teaching building to compare herself with her reflection.
• After Xia Shuran turned away, her reflection remained in the glass, staring after her.

Gu Qing took Huang Xiaoyue to dinner and tried to make her produce an attribute from the [Feces] tag, but he discovered she was labeled with other men as prey and began to suspect her rotten character might be the source. In a secluded grove, Huang Xiaoyue’s mouth split into a monstrous maw, and Gu Qing realized she was a cannibal monster who intended to eat him.

• Gu Qing piled food and cold drinks onto Huang Xiaoyue, then walked with her while hoping to trigger an attribute from her [Feces] tag.
• Gu Qing spotted Huang Xiaoyue’s contacts labeled as prey and saw that he was Prey No. 6.
• Huang Xiaoyue led Gu Qing into a secluded grove and offered to let him touch her stockings before tempting him to let her eat him.
• Huang Xiaoyue’s mouth tore open into a hideous, alligator-like maw, and Gu Qing realized she was a monster who would swallow him and turn him into feces.

Gu Qing fought Huang Xiaoyue, who revealed herself as a Ratman and tried to poison and overpower him. After withstanding her attacks, Gu Qing prepared to unleash his own transformation as the fight continued.

• Huang Xiaoyue lunged at Gu Qing, but he dodged and punched her, badly damaging her face and breaking her neck before she healed.
• Huang Xiaoyue began mutating and released corrosive rat poison, but Gu Qing struck her again and interrupted the transformation.
• Huang Xiaoyue realized Gu Qing might be a Supernatural Awakened and rapidly completed her mutation into a Ratman.
• Huang Xiaoyue slashed Gu Qing's neck and blasted him into a tree, but he stood up with only faint claw marks.
• Huang Xiaoyue thickened her poison mist to weaken Gu Qing, who decided to end the fight by transforming too.

Gu Qing overwhelmed Huang Xiaoyue after she attacked him in her Ratman form, then called Lin Tianyang to report that he had subdued her. As he waited for Lin Tianyang, Gu Qing reconsidered how his Tag Cheat predicted possible outcomes when he approached people.

• Gu Qing charged Huang Xiaoyue, knocked her down, and narrowly missed crushing her head when she rolled away.
• Huang Xiaoyue released rat-poison mist and tried to flee, but Gu Qing caught her, slammed her into the ground repeatedly, and broke her limbs.
• Huang Xiaoyue begged for her life and offered to become Gu Qing's slave, but he crippled her further and left her unable to resist.
• Gu Qing called Lin Tianyang, told him he had beaten the Ratman hiding at Haida, and shared his location so Lin could come over.
• Gu Qing studied Huang Xiaoyue's [Feces] tag and wondered whether the tags showed possible future outcomes, including what Ningyu's [Corpse] tag and Jiang Wanqiao's [Magical Girl] tag meant for him.

Gu Qing was ambushed in the woods by a powerful Rat God Cult researcher and tried to escape, but the masked man caught up and wounded him. Gu Qing seized the tail that pierced his arm and pulled the researcher down, leaving their fight poised to begin.

• A masked Rat God Cult researcher appeared before Gu Qing and attacked him with a bone blade at the end of his rat tail.
• Gu Qing saw that the attack could breach his defenses and fled, leaving the dying Huang Xiaoyue behind.
• Gu Qing dodged the researcher's repeated tail attacks by anticipating them and weaving through the woods.
• The researcher multiplied his tail into nine bone blades and struck Gu Qing's left arm while sealing off his escape routes.
• Gu Qing grabbed the tail piercing his arm and yanked the researcher down from the tree.

Gu Qing escaped the masked Ratman’s attack with help from He Haikun, who stopped the pursuit but could not kill the Ratman permanently. He Haikun learned Gu Qing had crippled the Ratman alone, and Lin Tianyang arrived with reinforcements to take the surviving attacker back to base for interrogation.

• Gu Qing tore the Bone Blade from his tail, wounded the masked man, and fled while sending Lin Tianyang a message for reinforcements.
• The masked man transformed into a Ratman, caught up with Gu Qing, and blocked his escape with nine bone-bladed tails.
• He Haikun emerged from Gu Qing’s shadow, drove off the Ratman’s attack, and severed his head, but the Ratman split into rats and escaped after threatening Huang Xiaoyue.
• He Haikun carried the dying Huang Xiaoyue back and asked Gu Qing whether he had crippled the Ratman alone; Gu Qing confirmed it.
• Lin Tianyang arrived with several people in black, and He Haikun ordered them to take the surviving Ratman back to base for interrogation.

After Gu Qing defeated Huang Xiaoyue and drove off the masked Ratman, Lin Tianyang treated his wound and took him toward Night Court Base, promising a reward for capturing a fully mutated Ratman. A forum post about Gu Qing’s strength drew the attention of Liu Zhiyi and Lu Kexi, who became curious about him.

• Gu Qing wondered whether the tags above people could change, then used Lin Tianyang’s ointment to quickly ease his arm wound.
• Gu Qing recounted how Huang Xiaoyue had tried to eat him, how he had beaten her, and how He Haikun had forced the masked Ratman to retreat.
• Lin Tianyang photographed Huang Xiaoyue, posted a provocative comparison of Gu Qing and Lu Kexi on NightTalk, and told Gu Qing he would receive supernatural resources as a reward.
• Lin Tianyang took Gu Qing by motorcycle toward Night Court Base for medical treatment and mission paperwork.
• Liu Zhiyi saw the forum post and requested the recording of Gu Qing’s recruitment test, while Lu Kexi read the discussion and judged his performance comparable to hers when she joined Night Court.

Gu Qing had his wound healed at the Night Court Medical Building and then went with Lin Tianyang to meet the Field Operations Department head and claim a reward for capturing a Ratman. The chapter left Gu Qing noticing the head’s [Space Master] label as Lin Tianyang introduced him.

• Bai Ningyu told Lu Kexi that she had located the water ghost in a well about three kilometers away, and Lu Kexi planned to watch while Bai Ningyu fought it alone.
• Guan Qi healed the wound in Gu Qing’s arm with his supernatural ability, and Gu Qing considered learning medical attributes from Guan Qi’s [Daddy] label.
• Lin Tianyang told Guan Qi that Gu Qing had captured alive the Ratman that injured Old Liang and said he would take Gu Qing to claim a reward.
• Lin Tianyang brought Gu Qing to the head of the Field Operations Department, where Gu Qing saw the man’s [Space Master] label.
• Lin Tianyang introduced Gu Qing to the department head as the Paranormal Contact he had recruited.

Gu Qing received approval to join the Night Court and chose a bottle of Rapid Healing Pills as his reward for capturing a fully mutated Ratman. Meanwhile, Huang Xiaoyue’s supernatural power was drained after interrogation, and Lin Tianyang took Gu Qing to complete his onboarding paperwork.

• Deacon Tian approved a basic supernatural resource reward for Gu Qing and authorized his onboarding with the Night Court.
• Lin Tianyang led Gu Qing to the Storehouse, where Gu Qing admired the treasures and selected a bottle of Rapid Healing Pills.
• Gu Qing completed the paperwork required to claim the pills.
• An interrogator reported that Huang Xiaoyue had destroyed her own brain to prevent thought-reading, and Captain Li ordered her power drained and her kept for future experiments.
• The crimson fang drained Huang Xiaoyue’s supernatural power, returning her to human form with severe injuries and only thoughts of her sister remaining.
• Lin Tianyang took Gu Qing to the Human Resources Department, where Gu Qing looked at the lone night-shift worker.

Gu Qing completed his Night Court onboarding paperwork with Jiang Wanqiao and chose to report for duty the following Monday. While chatting, he discovered Jiang Wanqiao’s secret enthusiasm for magical girls and pretended to share her interest because he wanted to benefit from the [Magical Girl] tag above her head.

• Jiang Wanqiao confirmed that Deacon Tian had authorized Gu Qing’s early onboarding and helped him complete the paperwork, including arranging protections for his family.
• Gu Qing created a NightTalk account, failed to find Bai Ningyu, and saw that Liu Zhiyi’s position was chief captain.
• Gu Qing decided to report for duty next Monday, and Jiang Wanqiao promised to prepare his supplies, including a black trench coat.
• Gu Qing opened Jiang Wanqiao’s book and discovered that its One Hundred Years of Solitude cover concealed a magical-girl companion book.
• Jiang Wanqiao admitted she was an anime fan, and Gu Qing asked her to help him get into magical girls so he could exploit her [Magical Girl] tag.

Gu Qing left the Night Court and arranged to meet Xia Shuran for dinner, while a masked cultist prepared a giant rat beneath Haicheng University to attack the campus. The chapter ended with Gu Qing and Xia Shuran mixing dipping sauces at Haidilao as he asked her to guess a food he disliked.

• Lin Tianyang took Gu Qing back to Haicheng University after Gu Qing and Jiang Wanqiao talked at the Night Court.
• The masked man told the Man-Faced Rat that her sister Xiao Yue had been captured, then went to check on the giant rat he was raising for the Rat God Cult.
• The masked man urged the eighteen-meter rat to keep eating so it could evolve and devour Haicheng University.
• Gu Qing met Xia Shuran for their planned Haidilao dinner, and he praised her princess-like outfit after she asked whether it caught his eye.
• Gu Qing and Xia Shuran arrived at the restaurant, mixed dipping sauces, and Xia Shuran guessed that river snail rice noodles were the food he disliked.

Gu Qing and Xia Shuran shared hot pot and lemonade before walking back toward campus. After Xia Shuran was pulled into a glass reflection and returned to the street, Gu Qing noticed that the [Martial Arts Grandmaster] label above her head had disappeared.

• Gu Qing and Xia Shuran ate hot pot together, and Xia Shuran tried his cilantro-heavy dipping sauce despite disliking cilantro.
• Gu Qing bought lemonade while Xia Shuran checked her makeup in a glass storefront.
• Xia Shuran's reflection grabbed her and pulled her into the glass, then she emerged a few seconds later and silently watched her surroundings.
• Gu Qing returned with their lemonade, and he and Xia Shuran began walking toward campus.
• Gu Qing noticed that the [Martial Arts Grandmaster] label above Xia Shuran's head had vanished.

Gu Qing confronted an eerie being wearing Xia Shuran’s appearance and was dragged into her Mirror World, where she attacked him with countless copies. He smashed through her copies and mirrors, but remained trapped in the mirrored realm.

• Gu Qing realized the person before him was not Xia Shuran and demanded to know what had happened to her.
• The eerie Xia Shuran pulled Gu Qing through a window and into the Mirror World.
• The eerie Xia Shurans emerging from the mirrors attacked Gu Qing, but their bites and claws could not hurt him.
• Gu Qing destroyed dozens of the copies with punches and kicks, discovering they were no stronger than ordinary people.
• Gu Qing charged through the Mirror World and began smashing the mirrors that spawned the copies.