Recaps

After deep meditation, Lu Heng advanced to Bronze Tier and gained Starlight Big Dipper energy with a Slaughter trait. He went into the forest to test his new abilities, easily killed three Cold Stiffs, and sensed an unknown creature approaching beneath the river.

• Lu Heng woke from meditation, found his body transformed, and saw that he had reached Bronze Tier with all four attributes at 30.
• Lu Heng discovered that his Mental Energy had become Starlight Big Dipper, with the Seven Luminaries Unlock still inactive and the Slaughter trait active.
• Lu Heng left the Shelter at night to test his strength while avoiding the intelligent beasts’ territories.
• Lu Heng killed three Cold Stiffs in less than ten seconds without breaking a sweat.
• Lu Heng heard something moving beneath the river and turned toward the water, eager for a fight.

Lu Heng discovered and defeated a Bronze Tier Sludge Mutant by using mental energy to destroy its core, then collected the resulting Mutant Core. As a rush of water sounded downstream, the core’s strong attraction for beasts threatened to draw something near.

• Lu Heng sent his King Snake underwater and found a Sludge Mutant hiding among the riverbed rocks.
• Lu Heng lured the Sludge Mutant into the shallows and identified it as a Bronze Tier creature with a hidden core.
• Lu Heng used mental energy on the Rat King Bone Knife to cut through the mutant’s healing body and shatter its core.
• The Wristband disassembled the mutant, leaving Lu Heng with a Mutant Core that strongly attracted beasts.
• Lu Heng heard a muffled rush of water coming from downstream.

Lu Heng discovered that the Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtles had pursued the Sludge Mutant, not been lured by him, and now wanted the Mutant Core he had taken. Surrounded by six black iron-tier turtles, he stood his ground and found that Mental Energy could seep through a seam in the turtle king’s shell.

• Five or six Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtles surfaced near Lu Heng and focused on the Sludge Mutant’s remains and the core in his hand.
• Lu Heng realized the turtles had chased the Sludge Mutant upstream and that he had only intercepted their prey by chance.
• The turtles tested Lu Heng, then spread out to surround him as he weighed whether to flee or fight.
• Lu Heng spotted the turtle king, whose shell bore Sludge Mutant residue and whose pincer held bone fragments.
• As the turtles charged, Lu Heng struck the turtle king’s shell with his Mental Energy-laced bone knife and made its movement falter.

Lu Heng offered the Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtles a Bronze Tier Mutant Core in exchange for a wilderness treasure chest. After the Turtle King accepted and sent the group searching, Lu Heng stayed alert and had his Companion King Snake watch the river.

• Lu Heng injured the Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtle King and drove the turtles into a fearful stalemate.
• Lu Heng decided to trade the Bronze Tier Mutant Core rather than fight the turtles for little reward.
• Lu Heng showed the core to the turtles and offered it in exchange for a wilderness treasure chest.
• The Turtle King accepted Lu Heng's offer and ordered the Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtles to search the river.
• Lu Heng sent his Companion King Snake to watch for an ambush while he waited and replenished his Mental Energy.

Lu Heng received four treasure chests from the Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtles and gave them a Mutant Core, which advanced the Turtle King to Bronze Tier but drove another turtle into a rampage. With the Turtle King's permission, Lu Heng attacked the aberrant turtle using the Deboning Knife, leaving the blade lodged in its shell as it thrashed.

• Four Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtles delivered three Black Iron-Level Treasure Chests and one Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest to Lu Heng.
• Lu Heng offered the Mutant Core to the turtles, and the Turtle King divided it among the group.
• The Turtle King advanced from Black Iron Tier to Bronze Tier after absorbing its share of the core.
• One Mudstone Pincer-Mouthed Turtle went aberrant and began thrashing violently after swallowing a fragment.
• Lu Heng asked the Turtle King for permission to kill the aberrant turtle and take its corpse, and the Turtle King nodded.
• Lu Heng struck the aberrant turtle with the Deboning Knife, which cut deep into its shell and began drawing its blood as it continued to struggle.

Lu Heng returned to the Shelter with treasure chests and modules, then established a pond and farmland outside the cave. With the puppet preparing the poor soil, the Shelter began moving toward producing its own grain and aquatic food.

• Lu Heng killed the Mutated Turtle, collected the treasure chests, and told the Turtle King to trade future treasures for chests.
• Lu Heng fed the Mutated Turtle's corpse to the Blood-Devouring Vine and opened the three Black Iron Chests, finding rations, lettuce seeds, a turtle shell shield, a Pond Module, and a Farmland Module.
• Lu Heng opened the Bronze Treasure Chest and obtained composting instructions, a refined bronze longsword, and a portable constant-temperature air conditioner.
• Lu Heng activated the Pond Module and created a flowing-water pond, then activated the Farmland Module to create a plot of infertile soil.
• Lu Heng instructed the puppet to prepare the farmland, leaving the Shelter equipped to begin producing grain and aquatic food.

Lu Heng discovered a horde of more than a hundred zombies gathered in the industrial district and attacked them with the Deboning Knife. His Combat Suit withstood their attacks as he carved through the horde, leaving the fight ongoing.

• Lu Heng inspected the new farmland and empty fishpond, noting that cold weather threatened outdoor crops and fast-maturing seeds could solve the problem.
• Lu Heng traveled from the Shelter to the base and headed toward the industrial district to scavenge supplies.
• Lu Heng found more than a hundred zombies clustered among the factory buildings, apparently drawn there by something in the district.
• Lu Heng charged the horde and used Mental Energy with the Deboning Knife to cut down zombies in wide sweeps.
• The zombies swarmed Lu Heng, but their claws and bites could not penetrate his Combat Suit as he continued fighting through them.

Lu Heng confronted a Bronze Tier Gluttonous Aberrant in the factory compound and used Zombie corpses to overload its ability to devour. With the Aberrant unable to swallow more and charging at him in pain, Lu Heng rushed forward to meet it.

• Lu Heng scanned the Gluttonous Aberrant and learned that it had mutated by devouring flesh and could grow stronger by eating.
• Lu Heng dodged the Aberrant’s attack and kicked a wounded ordinary Zombie into its grasp, distracting it while it swallowed the Zombie.
• Lu Heng repeatedly hurled Zombie corpses at the Aberrant, forcing it to catch and eat them until it could no longer swallow another.
• Lu Heng drew the Deboning Knife and charged at the berserk Aberrant as it rushed toward him.

Lu Heng realized that the Gluttonous Aberrant’s strength, defense, recovery, and reactions made it nearly impossible to defeat through physical combat, so he prepared to attack its active brain with Mental Energy. He created an opening by throwing a Zombie onto the monster’s head, then unleashed a Mind Spike at its cerebral nerves.

• Lu Heng traded blows with the Gluttonous Aberrant and observed that it healed rapidly by eating nearby Zombies.
• Lu Heng assessed the monster’s strengths and identified its mediocre straight-line speed, then spotted a dark red glow deep in its throat.
• Lu Heng concluded that close combat would not overcome the monster’s physical advantages and decided to attack its brain with Mental Energy.
• Lu Heng waited for the Gluttonous Aberrant’s devouring instinct to take over, then kicked a Zombie onto its head to distract it.
• Lu Heng charged and sent a concentrated Mind Spike into the Gluttonous Aberrant’s cerebral nerves.

Lu Heng killed the Gluttonous Aberrant with Mind Spike, cleared the remaining Zombies, and used the mutant’s body and a Soul Crystal to create a stronger Gluttonous Bone Demon. He then sent the Bone Demon to consume the leftover bones and headed deeper into the factory to investigate why the monsters had gathered there.

• Lu Heng killed the Gluttonous Aberrant with Mind Spike, then cut down the ordinary Zombies after its influence over them ended.
• Lu Heng dismantled the Zombie corpses and collected twenty-three Copper Coins, then decided to use the intact Gluttonous Aberrant as material for a new Bone Demon.
• Lu Heng used the Bone Demon Crafting Scroll and a Soul Crystal to create the Bronze Tier Gluttonous Bone Demon, reinforcing its resistance to mental attacks.
• Lu Heng ordered the Gluttonous Bone Demon to eat the remaining skeletons, and it consumed every bone without leaving fragments.
• Lu Heng wondered why the Gluttonous Aberrant and hundreds of Zombies had gathered at the abandoned factory, then went deeper into the grounds with the Bone Demon following.

Lu Heng and the Bone Demon discovered a bronze-tier Blood Banyan Tree in an abandoned wastewater pool, where it had been luring and devouring Zombies and birds. The tree’s tendrils began to droop from its canopy as Lu Heng assessed the threat.

• Lu Heng followed the strong smell of fresh blood to an iron gate, where several Zombies clawed at it.
• The Bone Demon killed the Zombies and punched the gate open.
• Lu Heng found a Blood Banyan Tree in the wastewater pool, with fleshy aerial roots that trapped and drained prey.
• Lu Heng’s Wristband identified the tree as bronze tier and explained how it lured, captured, and absorbed creatures.
• Lu Heng realized the tree had grown stronger by consuming hundreds of Zombies and watched its tendrils lower in search of more prey.

Lu Heng found that his blade and heat could damage the Blood Banyan Tree’s tendrils, but they regenerated too quickly and the damp air weakened his heat. He gathered diesel and gasoline to make a fuel trail toward the tree and readied his lighter, leaving the confrontation poised to continue.

• Lu Heng tried cutting the Blood Banyan Tree’s tendrils, but they rapidly regrew while his mental energy drained.
• Lu Heng used his Talent to create a wave of heat that burned the roots, but moisture from the sewage pool suppressed it.
• Lu Heng realized the tree’s reach ended outside the crown’s shadow and told the Bone Demon to guard the pool’s edge.
• Lu Heng collected diesel from a forklift and gasoline from two cars, spreading the fuel toward the pool as roots began reaching for him.
• Lu Heng retreated to the end of the fuel trail and felt for his lighter while the Blood Banyan Tree’s tendrils swayed uneasily.

Lu Heng searched the factory grounds for fuel to burn the Blood Banyan Tree, killing an Infected Zombie Dog along the way. With fuel gathered, he returned to considering how to deliver and ignite it safely near the tree.

• Lu Heng decided not to ignite the small amount of fuel he had because it would only damage the Blood Banyan Tree’s surface and provoke its roots.
• He searched abandoned vehicles beyond the tree’s reach and collected diesel from a forklift and a small truck.
• Lu Heng encountered an Infected Zombie Dog in the machining warehouse and killed it with his Deboning Knife.
• He dismantled the Zombie Dog and collected an Energy Core and three pieces of Zombie Bone.
• Lu Heng found three drums of fuel in the warehouse and stored them in his Wristband.
• Lu Heng concluded he had enough fuel but still needed a safe way to deliver and ignite it near the Blood Banyan Tree and escape.

Lu Heng burned the Blood Banyan Tree with fuel and his Talent skill, but nearly died when the tree hurled a flaming branch at him. After the Bone Demon blocked the attack, Lu Heng destroyed the tree and cut through its remaining roots until his Wristband confirmed the kill.

• Lu Heng poured fuel into the sewage pool and around the Blood Banyan Tree, then used a Dream Heart to restore his Mental Energy and set the oil alight.
• Lu Heng intensified the fire with his Talent skill until the Blood Banyan Tree's trunk cracked and its sap vaporized.
• The Blood Banyan Tree launched a flaming branch at Lu Heng, but the Bone Demon rushed in and blocked it, breaking several ribs in its arm.
• Lu Heng pushed his Talent skill to its limit, causing the Blood Banyan Tree to collapse from within.
• Lu Heng used his Deboning Knife to sever every moving root and tendril, and his Wristband confirmed the kill.

Lu Heng collected the Blood Banyan Tree’s remains, valuable materials, and a Mutation Treasure Chest after defeating it. He gathered the factory’s mutated ash and left wary of the dangers still hidden in the industrial park.

• Lu Heng used the Wristband to disassemble the dead Blood Banyan Tree and stored its Plant Heart, sap, bark, trunk, and root fibers.
• Lu Heng found bones, scraps, and metal fragments in the sludge, then recovered a Mutation Treasure Chest and decided to open it back at the Shelter.
• Lu Heng had the Bone Demon shovel the grayish-white remains into sacks, then stored the Mutated Plant Ash in his Wristband Space.
• Lu Heng surveyed the abandoned industrial park and considered how dangerous the encounter could have been if the mutant had been able to move or hide.

Lu Heng returned from the industrial park with a mutant treasure chest and used its spoils and the ash from the Blood Banyan Tree to prepare his plants for growth. He put the Plant Heart to use on the Purifying Water Lotus, then rested while planning to explore the remaining factory buildings.

• Lu Heng left the industrial park after clearing one factory building and opened the mutant treasure chest in the Shelter, finding Banyan Tree Bracers, a Blood Banyan Tree Seed, and a Mutant Seed.
• Lu Heng scattered plant ash around the Blood-Devouring Vine and across the Shelter’s farmland and Planting Room.
• Lu Heng pressed the Plant Heart against the Purifying Water Lotus, which entered a dormant state of advancement and briefly cleared the water in its pot.
• Lu Heng washed, reviewed the day’s gains, and rested in the astrology room while thinking about returning to explore the industrial park.

Lu Heng feared the Blood Banyan Tree loot could corrupt his established Stellar Meditation Method, so he purified the mutant materials and items at the Stellar Altar. The altar transformed them into three stellar treasures, and Lu Heng planned to use the Starlight Seed on the Purifying Water Lotus after its advancement ended.

• Lu Heng decided the mutant loot could pose a hidden risk to his path and carried it to the Stellar Altar.
• Lu Heng used the altar's stellar power to erase the aberrant corruption from the materials and items, transforming them into three new treasures.
• Lu Heng appraised the Starlight Seed, which could let a plant break through its tier limit, and reserved it for the Purifying Water Lotus.
• Lu Heng appraised the Star Armguards and discovered they offered storage, defense, and adjustable gravity for training.
• Lu Heng appraised the Water-Covering Vine Seed and planned to use it with the Blood-Devouring Vine to defend the Shelter's water and land approaches.
• Lu Heng left the altar and looked toward the Planting Room, where the Purifying Water Lotus was still advancing in its slumber.

Lu Heng used a Starlight Seed to purge aberrant energy from the Purifying Water Lotus, transforming it into a Silver Tier Star Lotus with valuable healing and cleansing traits. A perimeter alarm then revealed several fast-moving creatures near the Shelter, and the Star Lotus turned toward them.

• Lu Heng discovered aberrant Blood Banyan Tree energy was twisting the Purifying Water Lotus’s advancement and rapidly killing it.
• Lu Heng placed a Starlight Seed against the lotus’s rootstock, and starlight purified the aberrant energy and completed its transformation.
• The Wristband identified the new Silver Tier Star Lotus, which could produce healing Star Dew and medicinal seeds and use its petals to repel spirits and purify sinister auras.
• A watchtower alarm alerted Lu Heng to several large figures moving near the Shelter’s southeast wall, including one too fast for the surveillance feed to capture.
• Lu Heng headed for the equipment area as the Star Lotus’s petals turned toward the southeast.

Lu Heng discovered that two wounded beasts had approached his Shelter, apparently sent by creatures deeper in the forest to test his defenses. He shot the female with his Giant-Feather Crossbow, and the Blood-Devouring Vines subdued the charging male, leaving Lu Heng watching the forest for whoever had sent them.

• Lu Heng watched a bronze tier male beast and a black iron tier female beast prowl near the Shelter and recognized wounds left by the Blood-Devouring Vine.
• Lu Heng concluded the beasts were pawns sent to test his territory and aimed his Giant-Feather Crossbow at the female.
• Lu Heng shot the female through her right hind leg, bringing her down in pain.
• The male charged at Lu Heng, but the Blood-Devouring Vines overwhelmed and immobilized it.
• Lu Heng looked toward the forest depths, expecting the creatures behind the test to learn the cost of challenging him.

Lu Heng investigated the forest after two leopards attacked the Shelter and traced the incident to the Black-Eyed Bear. After making the Wolf King promise to bring treasure chests to his Shelter, Lu Heng and Bone Demon headed into the mist toward the bear’s territory.

• Lu Heng found signs of a recent struggle but no culprit at the site where the trouble had started, then returned to the Shelter.
• Lu Heng fed the second leopard’s corpse to the Blood-Devouring Vine and set out with Bone Demon to question the forest beasts.
• The Dark-Spotted Leopard and Ghost Tiger knew nothing about the two leopards, but the Wolf King indicated that the Black-Eyed Bear was involved.
• Lu Heng spared the Wolf King’s pack and demanded that they leave any treasure chests they found at the Shelter entrance; the Wolf King reluctantly agreed.
• Lu Heng decided not to wait and went with Bone Demon toward the Black-Eyed Bear’s territory.

Lu Heng tracked the Black-Eyed Bear that had plotted against the Shelter to a river where it had joined eight others for protection. He faced all nine and raised the Kiss of Nightmare, preparing to test the gun’s full power.

• Lu Heng found the Black-Eyed Bear’s territory empty and realized the bear had fled.
• The Bone Demon picked up the bear’s trail and led Lu Heng northeast to a river.
• Lu Heng spotted nine Black-Eyed Bears and identified one watching the route from its territory as his quarry.
• Lu Heng decided to confront the whole group rather than retreat and drew the Kiss of Nightmare.
• Lu Heng stepped into view as the bears stood, then aimed his gun at them.

Lu Heng attacked the Black-Eyed Bears at the riverbank with the Bone Demon and King Snake, targeting the one that had secretly sent leopards against the Shelter. The instigator was paralyzed by the King Snake’s venom and left helpless before Lu Heng.

• Lu Heng killed one charging Black-Eyed Bear with the Kiss of Nightmare while the Bone Demon grappled with and fatally wounded another.
• The Black-Eyed Bear that had sent leopards to attack the Shelter fled as the remaining bears froze in fear.
• Lu Heng sent the Bone Demon after the bears and ordered the King Snake to chase the fleeing instigator.
• Lu Heng fired at bears that tried to interfere, crippling them while allowing others to escape.
• The King Snake caught the instigator and paralyzed it with venom, and Lu Heng confronted it on the riverbank.

Lu Heng confronted a Silver Tier Black-Eyed Bear king after killing several bears, then negotiated compensation instead of risking a costly fight. He took a Silver Tier treasure chest and the bear corpses and headed back to the Shelter with the Bone Demon.

• A Silver Tier Black-Eyed Bear king arrived at the riverbank and tried to intimidate Lu Heng.
• Lu Heng killed a nearby Black-Eyed Bear with the Kiss of Nightmare to show the bear king the weapon’s power.
• Lu Heng explained that one of the bears had plotted against him by luring a beast to ambush his Shelter, and the bear king backed down.
• The bear king offered Lu Heng a Silver Tier treasure chest as compensation, and Lu Heng accepted it.
• Lu Heng took the four Black-Eyed Bear bodies, and he and the Bone Demon carried them toward the Shelter.

Lu Heng returned to the Fortress Shelter with four Black-Eyed Bears after the Wolf Pack let him pass, then used the carcasses to feed the Blood-Devouring Vine and stock the Shelter. He found a Flesh Core and an Energy Core, and planned to plant Water-Covering Vines at the Base Area the next day.

• Lu Heng dragged two mangled Black-Eyed Bears home while the Bone Demon carried two intact ones, and the Wolf Pack watched without attacking.
• At the Fortress Shelter, the Blood-Devouring Vine consumed the mangled bears and extended its tendrils along the stone wall.
• Lu Heng collected three tribute chests left at the entrance: one Black Iron chest and two Bronze chests.
• The Bone Demon ate one intact bear while Lu Heng dismantled the other, finding a Flesh Core and an Energy Core.
• Lu Heng stored the bear meat in the Cellar, washed up, and reviewed his plan to plant Water-Covering Vines at the Base Area.
• Lu Heng practiced the Starlight Meditation Method on the Nightmare Bed as the Blood-Devouring Vine explored the darkness outside.

Lu Heng planted the Water-Covering Vine in the lake and fed it Mental Energy, gaining the ability to breathe underwater for a limited time. After recovering, he set out with the Bone Demon toward town to check on Song Yunzhong and the spider-like Zombie.

• Lu Heng used the King Cobra to plant the Water-Covering Vine seed in thick mud at the bottom of the lake.
• The Water-Covering Vine rejected an ordinary Energy Core, so Lu Heng dove down and transferred his Mental Energy to it.
• The vine drained Lu Heng until he stopped the transfer, then granted him the Water-Covering Vine Binding talent, which let him breathe underwater for up to thirty minutes in calm water.
• Lu Heng meditated to recover some Mental Energy and used his talent to dry his clothes.
• Lu Heng decided to quietly check on Song Yunzhong and the spider-like Zombie, then left along the shoreline with the Bone Demon.