Chapter Summaries

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.

Lu Heng discovered five men waiting to ambush Song Yunzhong when he left the protection of his building. He killed three with King Snake and cornered the remaining two, then began questioning their leader.

• Lu Heng watched Song Yunzhong prepare to leave alone and spotted five men secretly waiting near the building.
• Lu Heng sent King Snake through the ruins and used its venom to kill the lookout, the man hiding by the car, and the knife sharpener.
• When the leader sprang up and the last man cowered, Lu Heng left them alive so he could learn where they came from and why they were watching Song Yunzhong.
• Lu Heng ordered the Bone Demon to block their escape, approached the survivors, kicked the leader down, and asked where he had come from.

Lu Heng killed the four thugs who had been spying on Song Yunzhong’s base and learned they worked for Zhou Cheng, a former casino owner entrenched in the inner city. After giving Song Yunzhong a revolver to protect the children, Lu Heng set out with the Bone Demon toward Zhou Cheng’s territory.

• The thug leader told Lu Heng that Zhou Cheng led a group of more than twenty men in an inner-city residential complex and possessed an item that controlled zombies.
• Lu Heng killed the leader and the other three thugs, then burned their bodies to ash.
• Song Yunzhong arrived and explained that he had been scouting for threats to protect the children at the base.
• Lu Heng gave Song Yunzhong a revolver with four rounds and told him to look after the children.
• Lu Heng headed toward the inner city with the Bone Demon, focused on Zhou Cheng and his group.

Lu Heng used King Cobra to reconnoiter a walled compound where Zhou Cheng and his followers lived in comfort behind a Bronze Tier Bully Dog. After assessing the guards and Zhou Cheng’s alertness, Lu Heng decided to attack that night.

• Lu Heng followed traces left by refugee collection teams to an old residential compound in the inner city.
• Lu Heng sent Bone Demon to hide and used King Cobra to scout past the Bronze Tier Bully Dog guarding the entrance.
• King Cobra saw the compound’s residents drinking and feasting while scrawny people served them.
• King Cobra observed Zhou Cheng lounging with a woman and attendants, while Zhou Cheng kept a knife at his waist and watched the door.
• Lu Heng assessed the compound’s defenses, judged the confrontation an easy cleanup, and decided to act that night.

Lu Heng used King Snake and Bone Demon to attack Zhou Cheng’s stronghold, quietly poisoning the thugs while Bone Demon fought Zhou Cheng’s bully dog. Zhou Cheng discovered Lu Heng behind the assault, and the two faced each other in the square.

• Lu Heng sent King Snake into the stronghold, where it silently poisoned several people during the drinking party.
• After a bottle shattered and the bully dog raised the alarm, Lu Heng recalled King Snake and sent Bone Demon to fight the dog.
• Zhou Cheng led his thugs out to cheer on the dog, unaware that King Snake was poisoning people at the edge of the crowd.
• Zhou Cheng noticed the fallen men and saw King Snake emerge, causing the crowd to panic and flee.
• Zhou Cheng confronted Lu Heng as he stepped out of the shadows with Bone Demon behind him.

Lu Heng raided Zhou Cheng’s base to find an ability that controlled mutant beasts, but learned the Bully Dog obeyed Zhou Cheng because it had been raised by him. After Little Liu killed Zhou Cheng, the dog attacked the traitors, while the surviving thugs offered to follow Lu Heng.

• Lu Heng asked Zhou Cheng where the beast-controlling ability was, and Zhou Cheng explained that the Bully Dog was simply his longtime companion.
• Zhou Cheng knelt and begged Lu Heng to spare the dog, then recounted its mother’s place in his life.
• Little Liu stabbed Zhou Cheng, saying he would not let the boss drag everyone else to their deaths.
• The Bully Dog attacked Little Liu and the other thugs who had killed Zhou Cheng, then returned to mourn beside its master’s body.
• The surviving thugs came out of the main building and knelt, offering to follow Lu Heng.