Chapter Summaries

After killing Yun Jing, Lu Heng entered a supermarket and became trapped by an Anomaly that required him to make a purchase to escape. He cautiously explored the store and found a butcher and a treasure chest in the meat section, leaving him to decide how to proceed.

• Lu Heng killed Yun Jing, collected the Zombie Cat's loot, and chose not to use the Wristband's dismantling function on Yun Jing's corpse.
• Lu Heng entered a supermarket and discovered that an invisible boundary trapped him inside until he completed a purchase.
• Lu Heng recognized the supermarket as an Anomaly and decided to explore cautiously, keeping the Geothermal Talisman as a last resort.
• Lu Heng browsed the shelves without storing anything, wary of the many uncanny surveillance devices watching him.
• Lu Heng reached the fresh meat section and saw a butcher endlessly chopping dark flesh beside an unfamiliar treasure chest.

Lu Heng followed the eerie supermarket’s shopping rules to escape, getting the butcher to label a piece of meat and a treasure chest before paying with Zombie essence. He left safely with the chest, discarded the suspicious meat, and stood outside the still-dangerous supermarket.

• Lu Heng reasoned that the butcher would follow ordinary supermarket rules, so he quickly chose meat and the treasure chest and asked for price labels.
• The butcher labeled both items without attacking Lu Heng, then returned to his stool.
• At the checkout, Lu Heng paid with a Black Iron Tier Zombie essence and left two unfamiliar coins as a tip.
• Lu Heng sprinted through the exit after the barrier vanished and escaped the supermarket.
• Outside, Lu Heng threw away the labeled meat and kept the treasure chest.

After escaping a deadly Anomaly in the supermarket, Lu Heng returned to the basketball court and fought three Zombie Dogs feeding on Yun Jing’s corpse. Dismantling the dogs yielded a Corpse-Control Ring, revealing how Yun Jing had controlled Abao and survived in the ruins.

• Lu Heng left the supermarket and hurried back toward the basketball court, determined to leave the city district.
• Lu Heng found three Zombie Dogs eating Yun Jing’s corpse, and they charged at him after noticing his arrival.
• Lu Heng discovered that ordinary wounds did not slow the Zombie Dogs and killed all three by severing their heads.
• Lu Heng dismantled the Zombie Dogs and obtained materials, energy cores, and a Corpse-Control Ring.
• Lu Heng realized that Yun Jing had used the ring to control Abao and concluded that killing her had been the right choice.

After returning safely from the Anomaly, Lu Heng cleaned himself and his weapon, then examined the rewards he had brought back. He discovered that the Nightmare Chest contained an Awakening Potion, a Summoning Order, and a Bone Demon Crafting Scroll, and ended the chapter hesitating over whether to drink the potion.

• Lu Heng returned through the Shelter entrance and sealed its stone door behind him.
• He washed the grime and blood from himself and cleaned his Bronze Hunting Blade.
• Lu Heng scanned the chest from the Anomaly and identified it as a Nightmare Chest obtainable by survivors who had faced an Anomaly.
• He opened the chest and appraised its contents: an Awakening Potion, a Summoning Order, and a Bone Demon Crafting Scroll.
• Lu Heng considered the risks of using the Awakening Potion and held it without drinking it.

Lu Heng awakened the Temperature Control talent and used the Bone Demon Crafting Scroll to create a Bronze Tier Bone Demon. He left the Summoning Order unused because he feared the risks of trusting teammates.

• Lu Heng drank the Awakening Potion and endured intense pain as his talent awakened.
• Lu Heng discovered he had Temperature Control and considered how it might fare against rule-based Anomalies.
• Lu Heng rejected using the Summoning Order, wary that teammates could betray him without consequences.
• Lu Heng used bones from the Swamp Giant Python and Giant Plume Eagle with the Bone Demon Crafting Scroll.
• Lu Heng appraised the resulting Bronze Tier Bone Demon, which could fly, fight, and heal itself using mutant beast bones and energy essence.

Lu Heng inspected his Shelter’s new defenses and supplies, then awakened his Temperature Control talent with the help of a Geothermal Talisman. After watching the survival channel, he decided to use other survivors’ reports to learn about future threats without risking himself.

• Lu Heng tested the obedient Bone Demon outside the Shelter and confirmed it could guard him in battle.
• Lu Heng inspected the Bloodthirsty Vines, Purifying Water Lotuses, and vegetable patch, finding his Shelter’s defenses and supplies in good condition.
• Lu Heng used geothermal heat to activate his Temperature Control talent, raising the air’s temperature but failing to control the unstable power well enough to attack.
• Lu Heng read the survival channel and saw that other survivors had encountered only zombies and basic dangers.
• Lu Heng closed the channel, intending to learn about greater threats from other survivors’ reports while steadily strengthening himself.

Lu Heng and the Bone Demon scavenged a town street, killing Zombies and searching a steamed bun shop. Lu Heng found food-making supplies and left ready to continue searching nearby shops.

• Lu Heng took the Bone Demon deeper into town, where it killed three Zombies and he collected two Copper Coins.
• Lu Heng forced open a steamed bun shop and sent the Bone Demon inside to scout.
• The Bone Demon killed the three Zombies that emerged, and Lu Heng collected two more Copper Coins.
• Lu Heng searched upstairs and stored eight sealed bags of flour and a packet of yeast.
• Lu Heng found rice, oil, salt, chilies, pepper, and other seasonings, then prepared to search the next shop.

Lu Heng searched a looted supermarket and found a small supply of drinks and snacks before Mutant Giant Rats attacked him. After he and the Bone Demon killed the rats and the Bone Demon replenished its stamina by swallowing their corpses, Lu Heng continued exploring deeper into town.

• Lu Heng entered the supermarket's storeroom and collected two cases of drinks and a bag of snacks, finding that looters had taken all the instant noodles.
• Mutant Giant Rats sprang from beneath a shelf and attacked Lu Heng, who struck them down with his Hunting Blade.
• The Wristband identified the creatures as Black Iron Tier Mutant Giant Rats and unlocked their Bestiary entry.
• The Bone Demon finished off the wounded rats and swallowed their corpses, restoring its stamina.
• Lu Heng confirmed he had found no more supplies and left the supermarket with the Bone Demon to explore farther into town.

Lu Heng found a predatory Black Iron Tier Lurewater Lotus in Riverside Park and sent the Bone Demon to retrieve it, but the Bone Demon snapped its stem. After the lotus’s fragrance nearly entranced him, Lu Heng appraised it and learned how it lured and dragged prey underwater.

• Lu Heng reached Riverside Park, where his Wristband failed to appraise the scattered construction scrap.
• A Lurewater Lotus swallowed a mutated sparrow, and Lu Heng recognized it as a rare Black Iron Tier mutated plant.
• Lu Heng ordered the Bone Demon to fly out and retrieve the lotus, but it pulled too hard and snapped the plant’s stem and roots.
• The Bone Demon brought the broken lotus to Lu Heng, whose Geothermal Talisman and necklace dispelled the fragrance’s entrancing effect.
• Lu Heng appraised the Lurewater Lotus and learned that its scent lured creatures within range of its underwater roots, which dragged prey in to be eaten.

Lu Heng sent the Bone Demon to search a river and recovered a Black Iron Chest, then returned to the Shelter and dismantled the Lurewater Lotus. He took out the chest and wondered what it contained, leaving it unopened.

• Lu Heng had the Bone Demon search the riverbed, where it found a Black Iron Chest and no other supplies or monsters.
• Lu Heng searched a looted Police Post for firearms but found no equipment, then decided not to search the nearby residential buildings.
• Lu Heng returned to the Shelter and dismantled the Lurewater Lotus, obtaining an edible root, tough flower stem fiber, and a scent-masking Lotus Fragrance Gland.
• Lu Heng stored the lotus materials and took out the Black Iron Chest, anticipating what might be inside.

Lu Heng opened a Black Iron-Level Treasure Chest and learned that building a second Shelter required defeating a bronze-tier boss and gathering rare materials. After nearly shooting himself while handling his new revolver, he set aside his worries and began preparing a flour-based meal.

• Lu Heng found a Base Blueprint, a multifunctional rice cooker, a black iron-tier revolver, and ten Copper Coins in the chest.
• Lu Heng accidentally fired the revolver while trying to catch it, narrowly avoiding a bullet that shattered his bracer.
• Lu Heng realized the revolver was dangerously difficult for an untrained person to handle and worried about the demands of constructing another Shelter.
• Lu Heng decided to stop dwelling on the challenges and made dough from flour and yeast.
• Lu Heng kneaded the risen dough and cut it into portions, considering steaming buns or making noodle soup.

Lu Heng made dried noodles with his Temperature Control Talent, then reconsidered his plan to hunt the regional Bronze Tier monster with the Bone Demon’s help. After survivors learned about Base Blueprints and Temporary Teaming Scrolls, Lu Heng chose to keep scouting alone for now.

• Lu Heng cooked noodles, used his Talent to dry the leftovers, and stored them for later meals.
• Lu Heng remembered that the Bone Demon was a Bronze Tier combatant and planned to scout the regional monster before deciding how to attack it.
• Lu Heng read the chat channel, where Zhang Lei said he had found a case of instant noodles and other survivors offered trades.
• Sun Qiang shared information about the Base Blueprint, prompting survivors to discuss the difficult construction requirements and the Bronze Tier monster.
• Wang Peng posted details of a Temporary Teaming Scroll, and Lu Heng considered its risks but decided to continue scouting alone with the Bone Demon as his trump card.

Lu Heng learned how to roast fresh tea leaves from Huang Quan and used his talent to make tea, tiring himself in the process. He brewed and tasted his first cup of homemade tea, pleased that it was a rare comfort in the apocalypse.

• Lu Heng harvested ripe vegetables and picked fresh leaves from the tea tree, then asked Huang Quan for a simple roasting method in exchange for meat.
• Huang Quan sent Lu Heng practical instructions for roasting tea and promised to share a more refined method later.
• Lu Heng used his talent to heat-fix, roll, and roast the leaves, but exhaustion and unstable heat caused him to burn some of them.
• Huang Quan sent the more detailed method, which Lu Heng copied into his notebook to try another time.
• Lu Heng meditated to recover, brewed the roasted leaves with warm water, and drank his first cup of homemade tea.

Lu Heng and Bone Demon searched a residential complex and a school, gathering supplies and defeating zombies, including a Mighty Zombie that dropped a black iron-tier Energy Core. They found no sign of the boss, but a waste treatment plant gate began shaking as something inside tore through metal.

• Lu Heng searched the residential buildings with Bone Demon, collected snacks and instant noodles, and let Bone Demon consume the zombies' bones.
• Lu Heng entered a school, where Bone Demon killed the student and teacher zombies, and Lu Heng found water and a first-aid kit.
• In the dining hall, Bone Demon defeated a Mighty Zombie, and Lu Heng took its Energy Core and gave its bone to Bone Demon.
• Lu Heng left the school and continued past factories until he reached a waste treatment plant, which he initially decided to avoid.
• The plant's iron gate shook as a hot, torn piece of metal slid beneath it, and Lu Heng and Bone Demon stopped to face whatever was inside.

Lu Heng watched the Bronze Tier Rat King defeat a pack of wild dogs and identified it as his mission target. When he tried to shoot it with his Giant-Feather Crossbow, an Elite Rat moved into the bolt’s path, alerting the Rat King and forcing Lu Heng to retreat.

• Lu Heng hid near the factory and watched five Black Iron Tier wild dogs attack a group of Mutant Rats.
• The Bronze Tier Rat King emerged with five Elite Rats, surrounded the dogs, and killed all five.
• The Rat King briefly looked toward Lu Heng’s hiding place before returning to feed, and Lu Heng decided it was his target.
• Lu Heng returned with his Giant-Feather Crossbow and aimed at the Rat King from thirty meters away.
• An Elite Rat moved in front of the bolt, and Lu Heng’s shot killed it instead.
• The Rat King and the remaining Elite Rats screeched toward Lu Heng’s position as he disappeared into the shadows.

Lu Heng fought through a swarm of giant rats and killed their rat king, exhausting most of his Mental Energy and using nearly one burst of heat from the Geothermal Talisman. After hearing a baby-like cry from the nest, he prepared to investigate and realized the rat king was not the area's boss.

• Lu Heng channeled heat from the Geothermal Talisman into the Hunting Blade and fought off the giant rats while the Bone Demon attacked the rat king.
• The Bone Demon was thrown aside, and the rat king charged Lu Heng, cracked his ribs, and forced him to use his remaining Mental Energy to superheat the blade.
• Lu Heng cut the rat king's throat and killed it, then assessed his injuries and the Geothermal Talisman's remaining energy.
• Lu Heng heard a faint crying sound from inside the nest and collected the rat corpses to feed the Bloodthirsty Vine and Bone Demon.
• Lu Heng checked the Wristband, found no new message confirming a boss kill, and turned toward the nest to investigate the sound.

Lu Heng and the Bone Demon found a Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest before a Mutant King Cobra attacked them underground. In an underground plaza, Lu Heng realized neither he nor the Bone Demon could damage the snake effectively and began searching for another way to fight it.

• Lu Heng ordered the Bone Demon to kill a litter of baby rats, then found a Bronze-Tier Treasure Chest and stored it in his Wristband Space.
• Lu Heng crossed a stone bridge over a murky channel, where a giant snake erupted from the water and pursued him through the passage.
• Lu Heng scanned the snake and identified it as a Bronze-Tier Mutant King Cobra whose venom had become highly corrosive and lethal.
• Lu Heng led the cobra to an underground plaza and dodged its lunges and venom while the Bone Demon attacked its heavily armored body.
• Lu Heng saw that the Bone Demon could not pierce the cobra’s scales and his own blade could barely wound it, so he concluded he needed another way to win.

Lu Heng swallowed a Blood Beast Pill and fought the Mutant King Cobra beneath the bridge, using a Geothermal Talisman to burn the beast nearly to death. As the pill’s backlash drained his life, he drank the snake’s blood to keep himself alive.

• Lu Heng recognized that the Mutant King Cobra’s venom made a direct fight nearly certain to kill him, while the Bone Demon failed to damage or distract it.
• Lu Heng swallowed his Blood Beast Pill, tripling his strength and reflexes, but found that the boost only let him barely survive the cobra’s attacks.
• Lu Heng used his Hunting Blade to block and evade the cobra’s lunges while the Bone Demon continued its ineffective charges.
• Lu Heng activated the Geothermal Talisman, burning the cobra’s scales and flesh until it collapsed, badly wounded and near death.
• As the Blood Beast Pill’s backlash began draining his vitality, Lu Heng staggered to the cobra and drank its blood to keep himself alive.

After exhausting himself with the Blood Beast Pill, Lu Heng replenished his body but remained unable to move, so he ordered the Bone Demon to guard him and then collapsed unconscious. The smell of snake blood drew dozens of Zombies beneath the bridge, where the Bone Demon fought to protect him.

• Lu Heng drank snake blood and swallowed flesh-and-blood essence and a Star Tear, but he remained too depleted to move.
• Lu Heng ordered the Bone Demon to guard the area and fed it the saved mutant rat carcass to restore its strength.
• Lu Heng stored the Mutant King Cobra in the Wristband Space, then lost consciousness.
• The Bone Demon finished recovering and stood guard beside Lu Heng as the snake blood's scent spread through the underground passages.
• Fifty or sixty Zombies followed the scent to Lu Heng, and the Bone Demon fought them beneath the bridge while Lu Heng remained unconscious.

After a pair of survivors rescued Lu Heng from the zombie-filled underpass, he woke the next day in an unfamiliar room. He learned that his rescuer was Song Yunzhong, a longtime local, and began to wonder what secrets the surviving people in the city might hold.

• Four zombies broke through the Bone Demon's defense and lunged at unconscious Lu Heng, but an archer killed them with arrows.
• Two men emerged from the darkness, and the older man carried Lu Heng out while the younger covered their retreat.
• The Bone Demon continued fighting the horde in the underpass, unaware that Lu Heng was gone.
• Lu Heng woke the next day in an unfamiliar room and struggled to sit up.
• Song Yunzhong introduced himself as a longtime resident of the city and offered Lu Heng water.
• Lu Heng remained wary and wondered what power or secrets allowed Song Yunzhong and others to survive in the city.