Recaps

Zhao Dabao concealed his growing power while caring for An An, and Lin Siyuan tracked him down on a mission connected to Yu Mo. In Sin City, Yu Mo, Yu Sheng, and Shi Guang prepared to face a group of Core Area residents demanding Yu Mo and their food.

• Zhao Dabao practiced with a Demon Crystal at night and had nearly recovered to the fourth awakening while An An slept inside.
• Sun Yingxiong set aside his memories of Yu Mo and continued directing Ink Pavilion's work through the intelligence report.
• Lin Siyuan found Zhao Dabao's file, told his group leader he had located him, and headed toward Er City to complete his mission.
• Yu Sheng and Shi Guang prepared for an attack on their home in Sin City, while Yu Mo woke and had his wheelchair raised with Shi Guang's remote.
• Yu Sheng told Yu Mo that twelve Core Area residents surrounded them and that each was far stronger than Outer City residents.
• A tall, thin man offered to let Yu Sheng and Shi Guang leave if they handed over Yu Mo, surrendered their food, and each cut off a finger.

Yu Sheng and Shi Guang fought off the group trying to reach the room, using a dagger, crossbow, and buried explosives. Yu Mo paid Shi Guang a million to join in, but his first attempt to detonate a bomb failed as she coached him from the window.

• Yu Sheng attacked the middle-aged man while Shi Guang supported him with crossbow bolts, forcing the man to retreat despite taking several wounds.
• The black-clad woman approached the doorway, sensed danger, and fled just before a buried explosive blasted her away.
• Shi Guang repeatedly shot at the injured woman, while some of the attackers fled and the others cautiously regrouped to charge the room.
• The woman urged the remaining attackers to focus on the city exit slots, and seven of them advanced toward the room while dodging crossbow fire.
• Yu Mo offered Shi Guang one million to let him take part, and she gave him bomb remote controls and instructions.
• Yu Mo hid by the doorway and pressed a button too early, failing to detonate the bomb as the black-clad woman approached; Shi Guang told him to wait until someone stood directly over it.

Shi Guang and Yu Sheng defended Yu Mo’s house with traps and weapons, killing Zhao Tianlei while the woman in black escaped. As more attackers reached the room and Yu Mo ran out of bomb triggers, Shi Guang went out to fight them.

• Yu Sheng used the house’s traps to scatter the attackers, while Shi Guang fired at the woman in black and Yu Mo detonated a bomb.
• Shi Guang spared the wounded woman in black at Yu Mo’s request, then called out that he would not pay to save Zhao Tianlei.
• Yu Sheng killed Zhao Tianlei instantly, and the woman in black fled after realizing the intel about him was outdated.
• The remaining attackers charged toward Yu Mo, and he discovered his trial pass had only provided two bomb triggers.
• Shi Guang picked up the Entrenching Tool and walked out to face the attackers.

Shi Guang held off three attackers with a spinning Entrenching Tool while Yu Sheng overwhelmed the men confronting him. Yu Sheng left one opponent alive and offered him to someone, leaving the attackers’ plan to escape Sin City in chaos.

• The attackers split up, sending three men to stop Shi Guang, three to hold off Yu Sheng, and one toward the doorway.
• Shi Guang rejected the oldest man's attempt to negotiate and used the Entrenching Tool's growing momentum to keep all three attackers from reaching her.
• Yu Sheng broke the attackers' weapons and badly wounded one of the men as they tried to retreat.
• Yu Sheng repeatedly spared one opponent, then asked, "Want this one?"

Yu Mo and Yu Sheng turned the failed ambush into a contest for spots to leave Sin City, sparing several attackers and setting a half-month deadline. After the survivors left, Yu Mo predicted that the burly man would maneuver between rival attackers to secure his own advantage.

• Yu Sheng knocked one attacker unconscious, while one of the remaining men abandoned his partner and fled.
• The wounded attacker offered to surrender and sacrifice a hand, so Yu Mo promised him a chance to compete for a spot in the Inner City in half a month against the man who had fled.
• Yu Mo judged four other attackers mediocre, then offered them spots on the condition that only two return alive; three left, followed by the burly man.
• Yu Mo predicted that the burly man would seek allies among the two men set to duel, offering help in exchange for their support.

Yu Mo lamented being trapped in his locked wheelchair while Yu Sheng explained its safety features and cleaned up. As they discussed Yu Mo’s impending death and the Light Group’s dirty work, Yu Sheng proposed Lawless Outlaws as a possible successor, leaving the unaware man unknowingly nominated.

• Yu Mo asked Yu Sheng to move his wheelchair, but Yu Sheng explained that Shi Guang had remotely locked it and installed a tracker.
• Yu Mo complained about the wheelchair’s elaborate safeguards and tried to get Yu Sheng to talk to him.
• Yu Mo admitted that he was dying and described the Light Group as people who did the dirty work.
• Yu Mo said Shi Guang was suited to replace him, but Yu Sheng objected because she was his friend and their deal ruled it out.
• Yu Sheng suggested Lawless Outlaws as a capable successor, pointing out that he was intelligent, experienced in intelligence work, and as talkative as Yu Mo.

Yu Mo reflected on his fear of death and hoped someone would carry on his beliefs, only to discover Yu Sheng had not heard him. Meanwhile, Sun Wen’s operation arrested corrupt officials in Er City, while Zhao Dabao noticed that Old Lin from the archives was missing and called the Ink Pavilion service desk to locate him.

• Yu Mo spoke to Yu Sheng about the burdens of living in Sin City, his hopes for a successor, and his fear of dying, but Yu Sheng was too far away to hear him.
• Shi Guang returned with a shovel and cart, and Yu Mo asked to be wheeled back into the shade and given ice water or cola.
• Sun Wen and the Light Group arrested the Guard Bureau director, his younger brother, officials from the Ink Pavilion and Dark Pavilion branches, and other local officials.
• Zhao Dabao watched the arrests, noticed that Old Lin from the archives was absent, and hid nearby to make sure he did not appear.
• Zhao Dabao called the Ink Pavilion service desk using a new SIM Card and claimed he urgently needed Director Lin to process his entry paperwork.

Zhao Dabao hid his suspicions and continued caring for An An while secretly contacting an ally and training through the night. In the Wilderness, Sun Wen and Li Zi prepared to investigate the suspected arson mastermind, and Sun Wen decided to summon help.

• Zhao Dabao claimed family leave, destroyed his SIM card, and worried that An An had compromised his identity.
• Zhao Dabao comforted An An over her hard rice, then cooked dinner with her and shared a happy meal.
• Late at night, Zhao Dabao used a hidden phone to request a discreet inquiry into whether strangers had visited Zhao Village, then trained until dawn.
• Sun Wen learned that the Sixth Awakening senior had returned to Er City and warned Li Zi that the suspected mastermind, possibly Zong Ren, was dangerous and cautious.
• Sun Wen and Li Zi planned to avoid Zhao Dabao’s street and find ordinary identities, while Sun Wen decided to summon an ally and called Mr. Zhao.

Sun Wen revealed that he and several classmates had secretly stayed in contact, then waited with Li Zi for Zhao Zicheng to arrive. Zhao Zicheng and Qi Tian joined them, while Li Zi reflected on her distance from her classmates.

• Sun Wen called Zhao Zicheng and other classmates, telling them he had found someone who looked like Zong Ren and sending them his location.
• Sun Wen told Li Zi that the Ink Academy's only rule was to stay alive without breaking the law, and said Zhao Zicheng would arrive that afternoon.
• Zhao Zicheng arrived with Qi Tian, and Sun Wen learned Zhao had received a scar during an arrest operation.
• Zhao Zicheng teased Sun Wen about bringing Li Zi, and the two friends roughhoused while Li Zi watched their closeness.
• Qi Tian asked Li Zi if she felt unable to fit in, then walked away muttering about Yuan Zhong's hairstyle.

Li Zi reflected on Sun Wen’s words as the Ink Academy’s 140th Cohort reunited, while the 141st Cohort remained less close. In Er City, Zhao Dabao kept watch over An An through the night after receiving a call, his conflicted feelings deepening as he saw how much she relied on him.

• Li Zi wondered whether she was the fool after Qi Tian suggested that he might be the problem, while Sun Wen teased Zhao Zicheng about buying his pills.
• Mu Yu arrived with Wang Youcai, and the other 140th Cohort newcomers gathered, leaving only Yu Sheng absent.
• The newcomers joked together as A Tai helped alter their appearances, and Sun Wen sent most of the group to camp outside Er City while taking a smaller party into the city.
• Zhao Dabao received a phone call, switched off his phone, and watched the sleeping An An through the window all night.
• When An An woke and panicked at first because Zhao Dabao was not beside her, she calmed after hearing him in the kitchen; Zhao Dabao watched her through a mirror and remained subdued.

Zhao Dabao sensed the investigation closing in and used the Ink Pavilion’s rules to move openly while Zhao Zicheng followed him. After Sun Wen revealed that another village had been slaughtered to prevent witnesses from testifying, Zhao Zicheng confronted Zhao Dabao, who warned that the Light Group’s reputation would not protect him forever.

• Zhao Dabao watched An An enter kindergarten, then returned home and meticulously cleaned his room before leaving the courtyard gate open.
• Zhao Zicheng followed Zhao Dabao openly, while Sun Wen explained that the Light Group could not arrest him without evidence and ordered an investigation into the village.
• Sun Wen learned that Zhao Dabao had slaughtered an entire village to prevent anyone from testifying against him.
• Zhao Zicheng grabbed Zhao Dabao by the collar in a stationery shop, but Zhao Dabao acted frightened and appealed to the bystanders’ sympathy.
• Zhao Dabao quietly told Zhao Zicheng that killing him would ruin the Light Group’s credibility, then suggested that nobody knew Zhao Zicheng was with the Light Group.

Zhao Zicheng and Sun Wen realized Zong Ren was stalling while they watched him near his alley, where a kindergarten made a forceful arrest too risky. Sun Wen deduced Zong Ren was waiting to pick up his daughter at four and mobilized Er City’s forces to search the area while Mu Yu kept watch.

• Zhao Dabao fled the stationery shop after warning Zhao Zicheng about the cost of losing their bet, while Zhao Zicheng refrained from arresting the onlookers.
• Zhao Zicheng told Sun Wen that Zong Ren seemed unafraid and was stalling, and Mu Yu reported that he had returned to an alley crowded with neighbors and near a kindergarten.
• Sun Wen ordered the team to keep watching Zong Ren and said he would block his phone signal and freeze his bank cards.
• Sun Wen suspected Zong Ren was waiting to pick up his daughter when the kindergarten let out at four, two hours later.
• Sun Wen sent Zhao Zicheng, Xiao Xiao, and A Tai to lead teams searching around the alley, ordered Mu Yu to continue watching Zong Ren, and kept Li Zi and Qi Tian outside the city as a possible surprise force.
• Sun Wen warned that the Evil Cult might still have active forces in Er City and launched the operation, bringing the city’s forces into action.

Zong Ren used an explosion and an attack on civilians to force Mu Yu to choose between arresting him and saving lives. He escaped with An An after killing her teacher, leaving her unaware that the blood on her face was not water.

• Zong Ren deduced that Sun Wen would wait two hours before acting, then signaled Mu Yu just before an explosion rocked a factory in the east of Er City.
• Sun Wen ordered Mu Yu to arrest Zong Ren and use force if necessary, while Mu Yu crossed the road to confront him.
• Zong Ren's disguised followers attacked pedestrians, and Mu Yu ran off to save the civilians instead of arresting him.
• Zong Ren entered the kindergarten, told the teacher he was taking An An home, and put earplugs in An An's ears.
• Zong Ren locked the other children inside and killed the teacher before leaving with An An on his shoulders, telling her the blood on her face was water.

Zong Ren used riots and timed explosions to keep Er City's defenders occupied as he crossed the city, while Sun Wen realized he had been outmaneuvered. Sun Wen drove to the east gate to confront Zong Ren alone, armed with a grenade, a pistol, and a dagger, and Zong Ren asked him to step aside.

• Mu Yu and Zhao Zicheng struggled to contain the riots and protect civilians while intercepting Zong Ren.
• Zong Ren detonated explosives around Er City, repeatedly delaying the Guard Bureau as he made his way toward the city center.
• Zong Ren revealed that he had accounted for Er City's hidden Sixth Awakening fighter, who had been tied up, and Sun Wen recognized that Zong Ren had controlled their contest.
• Sun Wen asked Mu Yu, Zhao Zicheng, Xiao Xiao, and A Tai how long they needed, then set off alone for the east gate to confront Zong Ren.
• Sun Wen prepared a grenade rigged to explode if he pulled its cord, along with a pistol and dagger, and waited for Zong Ren to arrive.
• Zong Ren found Sun Wen at the east gate, admitted he had not expected him to stand in his way, and urged him to step aside.

Zong Ren defeated Sun Wen despite his healing support ability and drove away with An An, leaving Sun Wen crushed by the encounter. As Sun Wen reflected on his failure, the bloodied Mu Yu appeared nearby.

• Sun Wen challenged Zong Ren to gamble with their lives, but Zong Ren charged him and knocked him down with a burst of speed.
• Sun Wen healed himself with his Gold Yuanbao and tried to shield himself with energy, but Zong Ren broke through and seized him by the throat.
• Zong Ren took Sun Wen’s car keys, dismissed his accusations, and drove away with An An despite Sun Wen threatening him with a grenade.
• Sun Wen collapsed and lamented his weakness as Mu Yu, covered in blood and radiating murderous intent, came into view.

Mu Yu and the others pursued Zong Ren after he escaped, but he switched cars and disappeared. Sun Wen recovered from his defeat, pieced together Zong Ren’s likely destination, and urged the team to intercept him on the way to Sin City.

• Mu Yu left Sun Wen unconscious and headed out of the city, while Zhao Zicheng, A Tai, and Lin Xiaoxiao pursued her.
• Lin Xiaoxiao joined A Tai in his beastified form, then rode Big White ahead as Zhao Zicheng ordered the roads blocked.
• Li Zi told Zhao Zicheng that the intercepted car was driven by an Evil Cultist, not Zong Ren, and the team began searching in three directions.
• Sun Wen woke, learned Zong Ren had switched cars, and struggled with the failures that had shaken his confidence.
• Remembering Xu Yuanqing’s perseverance, Sun Wen reconsidered Zong Ren’s motives and realized he was likely headed to Sin City.
• Sun Wen ordered the team to intercept Zong Ren on the road to Sin City, warning that he would be absolved of his crimes if he came out alive.

Sun Wen deduced that Zong Ren was heading to Sin City after accepting Soul Hunt’s offer, and sent his team to stop him before the gate opened. Zong Ren confirmed his cooperation with a hidden faction, while the chapter revealed that unseen forces had manipulated both him and Sun Wen to advance their own plans.

• Sun Wen concluded that Soul Hunt had offered Zong Ren a chance to clear his name and keep An An, and ordered his team to intercept him near Sin City before its gate opened.
• Sun Wen told his team to use Yu Sheng’s presence in Sin City as an advantage if they failed to stop Zong Ren outside it.
• Zong Ren called an electronically disguised contact, confirmed that their plan had begun, and refused to leave An An behind.
• The contact warned that the Ink Pavilion would investigate the failures around Er City and asked Zong Ren to kill Yu Mo if possible, as their cooperation depended on opening a breach in the Black Market.
• Zong Ren destroyed the phone and continued through the forest with An An, while the narration revealed that hidden factions had manipulated events and watched Sun Wen and Zong Ren from behind.

A hidden Soul Hunt operative revealed that he had orchestrated the Er City incident and manipulated Sun Wen, but Lin Siyuan and veteran Light Group fighters confronted him. The operative’s attempt to escape using a Void Snake was thwarted, and the battle began with the rooftop surrounded.

• A black-clad Soul Hunt operative reported that the Er City operation had isolated Sun Wen and that Zong Ren remained under watch.
• The operative watched Sun Wen sleeping near a supermarket and believed his plans had left Sun Wen powerless against the forces controlling events.
• Lin Siyuan appeared behind the operative and revealed that the Light Group had veterans ready to defend Sun Wen.
• Lin Siyuan and the veteran Light Group members surrounded the operative, who recognized that his people had mistaken the veterans’ imprisonment for the truth.
• The operative tried to escape with a Void Snake and eagle wings, but Lin Siyuan’s Break Void ability made him solid and the others’ chains slowed him down.

Lin Siyuan’s Light Group captured and investigated suspected Soul Hunt members while keeping Sun Wen unaware of their operation. Outside Sin City, Zong Ren threatened to kill children at a kindergarten to force Zhao Zicheng and the others to let him pass, then used An An as a hostage when Zhao attacked.

• A weakened, unidentified man failed to call for help, then destroyed himself before the Light Group could capture him alive.
• Lin Siyuan ordered the group to conceal the incident, investigate Ink City's Third Prison, and observe suspected collaborators while arresting Sixth Awakening Persons across Er City.
• Lin Siyuan reflected that Sun Wen had been manipulated with a Reflecting Heart Flower, then left him asleep by the roadside.
• Zong Ren reached Sin City with An An and threatened to trigger an attack on children at a kindergarten unless Zhao Zicheng and the others let him enter.
• Zhao Zicheng charged when Zong Ren neared the point where phones lost signal, and Zong Ren dropped his phone and grabbed An An by the neck to stop him.

Zong Ren used An An as a hostage to escape into Sin City, leaving Zhao Zicheng and the others to care for her. Inside the city, Yu Mo recognized Zong Ren, and Yu Sheng offered to capture him.

• Zong Ren refused to release An An until Sin City's gate began opening, then dropped her and slipped inside.
• Zhao Zicheng removed An An's earplugs, reassured her that her father would return, and carried her away while she quietly cried.
• After Zhao Zicheng left, A Tai shouted toward Sin City that Zong Ren had entered and urged Brother Yu to kill him.
• Yu Mo, who had been waiting by the gate for three days, recognized Zong Ren as he entered Sin City.
• When A Tai's shout made Zong Ren uneasy, Yu Sheng asked Yu Mo whether he should grab him.

Yu Mo watched Zong Ren defeat starving attackers in Sin City and learned from Yu Sheng that Zong Ren was strong enough for the Inner City. Yu Sheng tracked Zong Ren down on Yu Mo’s orders, and their pursuit ended with Zong Ren firing a pistol at him.

• Several starving men ambushed Zong Ren, who killed three of them and searched their bodies before leaving.
• Yu Mo speculated that Zong Ren had arranged supplies and weapons before entering Sin City, and Yu Sheng estimated that he could qualify for the Inner City.
• Yu Sheng confronted Zong Ren and said his friend had asked him to kill him and his employer wanted to see him.
• Zong Ren refused to go with Yu Sheng, threw daggers at him, and fled through the alleys.
• Zong Ren fired a pistol at Yu Sheng, who dodged and kept moving toward him.

Yu Sheng, Shi Guang, and Yu Mo captured Zong Ren after a chase, and Yu Mo tested the ruthless survivor by ordering Yu Sheng to shoot him repeatedly. Zong Ren endured the wounds and asked to talk, but Yu Mo told him to rest first as they waited beneath the moon.

• After Zong Ren abandoned his gun, Yu Sheng shot him in the calf and herded him toward Shi Guang and Yu Mo.
• Zong Ren surrendered, dug the bullet out of his leg with a dagger, and asked Yu Sheng and Shi Guang for tools and gauze, which they refused to lend him.
• Yu Mo praised Zong Ren's ruthlessness and ordered Yu Sheng to shoot his legs; Yu Sheng misunderstood the first instruction, then fired three more times on Yu Mo's orders.
• Zong Ren, badly wounded and exhausted, asked whether they could begin talking, but Yu Mo told him to rest and remarked that the moon was not full.

Yu Mo, Yu Sheng, and Shi Guang tormented the wounded Zong Ren while Yu Mo explained how they had tracked him to Sin City. Zong Ren asked what Yu Mo wanted from him, but Yu Mo revealed that they had found him by tracing the strange fire and the girl he had taken away.

• Yu Sheng shone an extravagant flashlight into Zong Ren’s eyes while Yu Mo joked about tormenting and killing him.
• Shi Guang described Zong Ren’s measurements and the place prepared for him in her Corpse Pit.
• Yu Sheng described a gruesome punishment involving raw food, frightening Zong Ren more than the prospect of death.
• Yu Sheng lit a candle and placed it in Zong Ren’s bloodied hands so they could see his face.
• Zong Ren asked how they had known he would come to Sin City, and Yu Mo said he had been found by tracing the strange fire and the girl he had taken away.

Yu Mo deduced that Zong Ren had helped the Evil Cult disappear into the shadows in exchange for Soul Hunt’s support. Zong Ren pleaded for his life and offered to do anything to survive, but Yu Mo gave him no reason to believe he would be spared.

• Yu Mo explained that Zong Ren had sacrificed Qiu Xiaoxiao and hidden the Evil Cult in exchange for something Soul Hunt could offer, likely access to the Black Market.
• Yu Mo called Zong Ren a disappointing prisoner and ordered Yu Sheng to kill him.
• Yu Sheng fired, but Zong Ren dodged the shot; when Yu Sheng prepared another, Yu Mo stopped him to hear Zong Ren out.
• Zong Ren asked what he could do to stay alive and said he had killed only to survive and live better.
• Yu Mo agreed with Zong Ren’s reasoning but said he would kill him because he was a psychopath.
• Zong Ren insisted he would do anything to stay alive and suggested Yu Mo might need him for something.

Yu Mo let the battered Zong Ren leave with a chance to prove his worth by surviving three days, intending to use him as expendable help in Sin City. As the city’s momentum gathered, Yu Mo prepared an Urban Legend Game for the upcoming contest for spots to leave Sin City.

• Yu Mo told Zong Ren that he could earn a chance to leave Sin City by proving his worth and surviving three days.
• Yu Sheng gave Zong Ren water, and Zong Ren forced himself to his feet and left.
• Yu Mo told Yu Sheng that Zong Ren was doomed but could serve as cannon fodder and answer Confucian Scholar’s questions before being killed.
• Yu Mo explained that Sin City’s momentum would push events toward a predetermined outcome, leaving Zong Ren little room to interfere.
• Shi Guang asked Yu Mo about the last space in his pit, leaving Yu Mo stumped.
• Yu Mo turned his attention to the contest for Sin City’s spots and began planning an Urban Legend Game.