Chapter Summaries

In the Dreamscape, Bai Suoyi explained that Doctor Li had transplanted the unknown heart into Chen Fei after the first Apotheosis experiment, while the reason Zhang Chu woke remained unclear. As an unexpected incident drew near, Lu Xiao volunteered to undergo the experiment first, and Bai Suoyi sensed that the moment had arrived.

• Bai Suoyi told Lu Xiao that Chen Fei became a test subject in the second batch of the Apotheosis Project after receiving the unknown heart, but he and Shadow did not know how Zhang Chu had awakened.
• Bai Xuedong arrived with soldiers, and Bai Suoyi greeted his father with tears as he recalled the reason behind his father's strictness.
• Doctor Li asked who would go first, and Bai Xuedong ordered Bai Suoyi to step forward.
• Lu Xiao pulled Bai Suoyi back and volunteered to go first, despite Bai Xuedong insisting that he was more important.
• Shadow wondered whose Dreamscape they had entered and suspected the memory might help him recover memories of Lu Xiao; Bai Suoyi then said it was time.

With the Kin attacking the base, Lu Xiao persuaded Doctor Li and Shuns to proceed with the experiment that vaporized and reassembled its subject. Lu Xiao emerged intact and unmutated, then said, “I saw it.”

• A soldier warned Bai Xuedong that the Kin were attacking and the base had been exposed, so Bai Xuedong sent the researchers to the Shelter Room and organized the defense.
• Lu Xiao convinced Doctor Li to run the experiment before the base fell, and Doctor Li and Shuns took him to the experiment site.
• Doctor Li explained that the process would vaporize Lu Xiao and reassemble him, possibly as a monster, but Lu Xiao entered the tank anyway.
• Doctor Li activated the experiment, channeling the base's nuclear reactor energy into the tank and vaporizing Lu Xiao.
• As the Kin's attack shook the base, Doctor Li and Shuns waited while Lu Xiao's body slowly reassembled.
• Lu Xiao emerged intact and unmutated, then murmured, “I saw it.”

After the experiment succeeded, Lu Xiao saw the path of apotheosis and prepared for the arrival of a powerful Evil God. He climbed the path, leaving keepsakes for Doctor Li, Shuns, the Captain, and Zhang Chu as his companions’ memories of him began to disappear.

• Lu Xiao confirmed that the experiment had succeeded and told Doctor Li and Shuns that he had seen the apotheosis path.
• Knowing a powerful Evil God would soon descend, Lu Xiao asked Shuns to remember him and told Doctor Li that he had a daughter named Lu Qian.
• Lu Xiao stepped onto the staircase with both feet, gouged out his left eye for Doctor Li, and gave him his heart to leave for the Captain.
• Lu Xiao tore the skin from his face and made it a mask for Zhang Chu, then began climbing the staircase as his aura grew stronger.
• Doctor Li and Shuns lost their memories of Lu Xiao and tried to record his words, but their writing faded until only fragments remained.

Lu Xiao continued climbing the Apotheosis staircase in his Dreamscape as an Evil God attacked him and the soldiers around him. He revealed that he had acted before, despite being unable to intervene without losing the last of his humanity.

• Everyone woke from the shattered Dreamscape except Lu Xiao, and Shuns rushed to his side, crying that he had not forgotten him.
• In Lu Xiao's continuing Dreamscape, Bai Xuedong and the soldiers defended the base from the Kin, but they had forgotten Lu Xiao and could not remember his role.
• An Evil God descended, and its presence transformed a soldier into a monster; the other humans learned not to look directly at it.
• As Lu Xiao climbed the staircase, his aura strengthened, his injuries healed, and the Evil God crushed Kin with gravity before attacking him.
• Lu Xiao endured the Evil God's gravity and whispers without stopping, even as the staircase collapsed beneath him and his body began to break down.
• Lu Xiao explained that climbing the Apotheosis Path eroded his humanity and that acting could turn him into an unconscious, rule-like being, then insisted, "But I did act!"

Lu Xiao spoke with a manifestation of himself about altered history, the memories they shared, and the price of changing the past. As he climbed toward apotheosis, he learned that his life and memories had been arranged by others and chose to forget them.

• Lu Xiao’s manifestation explained that Lu Xiao had changed history, giving humanity a chance to survive, and that the altered course would make Lu Xiao pay a price.
• Lu Xiao asked who had manifested him, and the manifestation answered that Driver had done so.
• At a beach filled with grotesque creatures, Lu Xiao flicked blood onto a jellyfish, and the manifestation explained how his blood had become rules and anomalies.
• The manifestation explained that Lu Xiao’s humanity had to come from his own experiences and that each step on the stairs erased fragments of it.
• Lu Xiao learned that Driver’s ritual required manifesting a historical life beyond the rank of deities, while the true history ended with Lu Xiao achieving apotheosis and humanity going extinct.
• Feeling that his life and memories were not his own, Lu Xiao said he wanted to forget everything, and the manifestation told him to forget.

After Lu Xiao’s curse erupted, the Omniscient Mirror revealed that he had experienced actual history rather than the dreamscape, and that the Present World existed because of his curse. Shuns learned that Lu Xiao had traded away his humanity and memories for Shuns’s lucidity and memories, leaving Lu Xiao needing to rebuild his humanity.

• The Omniscient Mirror told Shadow that Lu Xiao had experienced actual history, not the dreamscape, and that someone had already paid the price for Shadow’s questions.
• The Omniscient Mirror explained that Lu Xiao’s curse had fully erupted because his humanity had disappeared, and that he could only resolve it by rebuilding his humanity himself.
• The Doctor realized the Present World’s existence depended on Lu Xiao and began nearing madness, so Shadow used Bribery to put him to sleep and threatened Black Cat into weaving him a realistic dreamscape.
• Shuns asked how Lu Xiao could rebuild his humanity, and the Omniscient Mirror revealed that Lu Xiao had exchanged his humanity and memories for Shuns’s lucidity and memories.
• Shuns looked at Lu Xiao and understood that Lu Xiao had forgotten everything.

After learning that the Present World had not existed before, Shuns proposed restoring Lu Xiao's humanity by helping him revisit his memories. The team prepared to recreate the course of Lu Xiao's life, and Shuns named the plan “Finding the Lost One.”

• Shuns said they needed to help Lu Xiao rebuild his humanity, starting with his memories.
• Shuns asked Shadow and the Director for help, and the Director summoned Sacrificial One Sly, Sacrificial One Liuguang, Sacrificial One Xiao Yu, and Mr. Ding Dan.
• The summoned team members described Lu Xiao's experiences, allowing Shuns to form a detailed plan.
• Shuns arranged for Lu Xiao to be placed in the Dark Prison, with Chainsaw Man protecting him and the others reenacting his past.
• Shuns assigned Shadow to lead Bai Suoyi, Sly, Liuguang, Xiao Yu, He Shang, and Driver into the Dark Prison, while Shuns would play Doctor at the C03 Containment Facility.
• Shuns named the plan “Finding the Lost One.”

Lu Xiao woke in the Dark Prison with no memories and rotting patches on his body, while Shadow prepared He Shang to confront his crazed Clone. The chapter left Lu Xiao trying to understand who he was as his wounds rapidly healed.

• Shuns reviewed surveillance recordings while the others prepared to work for Lu Xiao.
• Shadow ordered He Shang to kill his crazed Clone, warning that only one of them could survive.
• He Shang emerged wounded with Past and Future's heads, and Shadow promised to turn them into weapons while reminding He Shang that he was not Present.
• Future tried to tempt He Shang into eating the heads, but He Shang mocked his approach and Past refused to help him.
• Lu Xiao awoke in the Dark Prison with no memories, tore rotten flesh from his arm and abdomen, and watched the wounds rapidly repair themselves.

Lu Xiao went berserk and overwhelmed Chainsaw Man, prompting Shuns to send Shadow and the others to intervene. After Bai Suoyi fought Lu Xiao and he vanished, Shadow reported that the mission had failed.

• Lu Xiao followed the chainsaw’s sound and rammed Chainsaw Man, sending him flying before disappearing into the darkness.
• Chainsaw Man warned Shuns that Lu Xiao was awake and too powerful to defeat, so Shuns ordered Shadow and the others to reach him and, if necessary, knock him unconscious.
• Shadow led the team to Chainsaw Man, who fled behind them while Lu Xiao darted through the shadows and attacked him.
• Bai Suoyi fought Lu Xiao, striking him with his tail, but Shadow could not use Instigation because Lu Xiao’s P06-Eye of Truth suppressed his ability.
• Lu Xiao vanished from sight, and Shadow told Doctor Shuns that the mission had failed.

Shadow and Bai Suoyi pursued the maddened Lu Xiao through the Dark Prison, hoping to capture him and restore his sanity. The chapter ended with Bai Suoyi breaking Lu Xiao’s arm but getting stabbed in the abdomen by Lu Xiao’s other hand.

• Shadow sent He Shang and the others back to the Containment Facility, then followed Chainsaw Man and Bai Suoyi to find Lu Xiao.
• Lu Xiao killed a huge Weird Life and ate part of its brain, while Shadow concluded that Lu Xiao’s remaining humanity had kept him from attacking Bai Suoyi.
• Shadow decided to ask the Omniscient Mirror to restore Lu Xiao’s sanity and gave Bai Suoyi his severed arm to empower him with divine strength.
• Shadow and Bai Suoyi caught up to Lu Xiao as he finished killing another Weird Life, and Bai Suoyi struck Lu Xiao’s head into the ground.
• Bai Suoyi broke Lu Xiao’s arm, but Lu Xiao drove his other arm into Bai Suoyi’s abdomen.

Dart stopped Shadow and Bai Suoyi from fighting Lu Xiao and learned that Lu Xiao’s humanity was nearly gone and his curse had erupted. Shadow explained that he and Bai Suoyi wanted to take Lu Xiao back to question the Omniscient Mirror, but Dart remained wary as Shadow asked him to return with them or hand Lu Xiao over.

• Bai Suoyi broke Lu Xiao’s arm and attacked him again while Shadow prepared to use his ability, but an unseen voice stopped them and froze Lu Xiao.
• Chainsaw Man rushed toward Lu Xiao, but Dart appeared behind him and restrained Lu Xiao with his tentacles.
• Dart recognized that Lu Xiao had gone mad, while Shadow realized Dart was on their side and said they wanted to take Lu Xiao back for treatment.
• Shadow explained that Lu Xiao’s humanity was disappearing and his curse had erupted, then said they needed to question the Omniscient Mirror to save him.
• Shadow identified himself as a Pioneer and introduced Bai Suoyi as C02’s former leader and the Director’s father, then asked Dart to hand over Lu Xiao or come with them.

Dart refused to return Lu Xiao and demanded that Shadow bring the Omniscient Mirror before he would continue talking. While Bai Suoyi fetched it with the Prison Doctor, Dart’s tentacles entertained Lu Xiao and seemed to help restore his humanity; Dart then asked the mirror whether Shadow’s account was true and what the answer would cost.

• Dart refused to go with Shadow or hand over Lu Xiao, and demanded that Shadow bring the Omniscient Mirror.
• Shadow sent Bai Suoyi to fetch the mirror and the Prison Doctor, then stayed behind while Dart’s tentacles played with Lu Xiao.
• Shadow noticed Lu Xiao’s human emotions returning as Dart shaped his tentacles into toys and Lu Xiao laughed.
• Bai Suoyi returned with the Omniscient Mirror and the Prison Doctor, who tried to flee after seeing Dart.
• Dart asked the Omniscient Mirror whether Shadow and the others had told him the truth and what price the answer would require.

Dart asked the Omniscient Mirror how to restore Lu Xiao and learned that the Source of Pollution could be removed from his face and would not affect Lu Xiao. After the mirror showed a vision of a colossal threat from the Depths, Dart chose to pass the mask to Lu Xiao rather than ask about his own fate.

• Dart paid one tentacle to learn that Shadow and the others had not lied about wanting to take Lu Xiao for treatment.
• Dart asked how to bring Lu Xiao back to his senses, and the Omniscient Mirror told him to put his mask on Lu Xiao.
• Shadow asked how to protect Lu Xiao from the Source of Pollution, but the mirror demanded Shadow's heart as payment.
• Dart paid another tentacle and learned that he could remove the mask by peeling off his face and that the Source of Pollution's traits would not affect Lu Xiao because it had been separated from Him.
• Dart peeled off his face and separated the Source of Pollution into a mask, which urged him to put it back on.
• The Omniscient Mirror showed a vision of a gigantic wave of monsters and blood-colored lightning approaching a dam, and Dart declined to ask about his ending as a tentacle carried the mask toward Lu Xiao.

The Source of Pollution took possession of Lu Xiao and offered to preserve his humanity if Dart brought it into the depths of the Dark Prison. As the group traveled, Lu Xiao regained lucidity, but the Prison Doctor warned that his curse was worsening and would eventually rot his internal organs.

• The Source of Pollution possessed Lu Xiao and bargained with Dart, promising to keep Lu Xiao lucid and preserve his humanity in exchange for a journey into the depths.
• The Omniscient Mirror urged the group to hurry, and Dart summoned a huge winged fish to carry them toward the Dark Prison’s depths.
• The Prison Doctor declined to go at first, but Shadow decided to bring him along, and the group boarded the fish.
• Lu Xiao vomited black slime, which restored his face, and then emerged from his frenzied state as the slime covered patches of decay.
• Dart and the Prison Doctor removed Lu Xiao’s rotting flesh as it appeared, and the Prison Doctor explained that the curse would spread faster and eventually rot his internal organs.

Shadow, the Prison Doctor, and Dart debated how to save Lu Xiao from the Curse, with godhood emerging as a dangerous last resort. As they headed into the depths, Shadow revealed his plan to fulfill Lu Xiao’s Deification Ritual and asked the Gambler to protect Huaxia if he died, prompting the Gambler to suspect he intended to break the Wager.

• The Prison Doctor said he had witnessed the Curse erupt in another creature and argued that Lu Xiao should become a god rather than decay into mindless flesh, but Shadow warned that Lu Xiao could go mad without his humanity.
• Dart agreed that Lu Xiao could become a god if no other solution emerged, offered to watch over him until the Gate stopped working, and leaped down to stand guard by the dam.
• Shadow said Lu Xiao had already begun his Deification Ritual, which required him to kill a true Deity alone and eat Them whole, and considered making himself Lu Xiao’s target or sending Lu Xiao after the Pope.
• Shadow contacted the Gambler through a face formed from his blood and asked him to help Huaxia if Shadow died.
• The Gambler noted that the Wager should prevent Shadow from dying and asked whether he planned to break it, while the Pope’s true body listened from across the room.

Shadow planned to break his Wager with Gambler and help Lu Xiao complete his Deification Ritual, while Lu Xiao's body continued to rot. After Shadow paid the Omniscient Mirror with Lu Xiao's discarded rotten flesh, it said the solution was to stop interfering with Him.

• Shadow warned Gambler that he might die and asked him to look after Huaxia, leaving Gambler unable to get guidance from fate.
• Gambler calmed down under the Pope's holy light, then began shuffling cards to find out what Shadow was doing.
• Shadow told Bai Suoyi he was the only one who could help Lu Xiao complete the ritual and admitted he had used Temptation on Gambler.
• Prison Doctor stopped Chainsaw Man from cutting away Lu Xiao's rot with his chainsaw, fearing the curse would erupt elsewhere.
• Shadow asked the Omniscient Mirror how to stop Lu Xiao's rot and paid with the discarded rotten flesh.
• The Omniscient Mirror answered that they should stop interfering with Him and questioned Prison Doctor's limited knowledge of Apotheosis.

The Omniscient Mirror explained that Apotheosis transformed a being into a rule itself, while Shadow and the others watched Lu Xiao’s body decay as his consciousness returned. The chapter left them questioning whether Lu Xiao’s transformation was beneficial or something they needed to stop.

• Lu Xiao regained awareness but could not remember the Prison Doctor, who confirmed he could respond to others.
• The Prison Doctor asked the Omniscient Mirror about Apotheosis, and the Mirror challenged whether the pig he had treated was truly afflicted by it.
• The Omniscient Mirror explained that the pig had been a rule’s appearance and that Apotheosis could be both a blessing and a curse.
• The Omniscient Mirror told Shadow that beings on the Apotheosis Path became rules themselves, unlike deities who remained bound by rules.
• Shadow wondered whether Lu Xiao’s transformation should be stopped, and the Omniscient Mirror warned that a rule might feel no pity for humanity.

Lu Xiao rose in a decayed state and treated Chainsaw Man as a new acquaintance, recreating the first meeting described in the script. Shadow, Bai Suoyi, and the Prison Doctor followed the script’s next steps, leaving Shadow terrified that someone was controlling their actions.

• The Omniscient Mirror told Shadow that rules could retain emotions and suggested Lu Xiao might want to become one.
• Lu Xiao stood up with most of his body rotted and asked the others who he was.
• Lu Xiao’s leg joint broke when he tried to walk, and Chainsaw Man repaired it, prompting Lu Xiao to call him a polite friend.
• Shadow and Bai Suoyi recognized that Lu Xiao and Chainsaw Man’s meeting matched the script, so Bai Suoyi lay down for the next planned operation.
• The Prison Doctor prepared to treat Bai Suoyi but found no anesthetic, and Shadow feared that their choices were being controlled.

Shadow and the Prison Doctor tried to keep Lu Xiao following their planned script while they restrained and operated on Bai Suoyi. Lu Xiao missed the intended cues, but eventually noticed that the Prison Doctor had not given the patient an anesthetic.

• Shadow and the Prison Doctor agreed to follow the original script, and the Prison Doctor asked Lu Xiao to restrain Bai Suoyi.
• Lu Xiao tied Bai Suoyi up, while the Prison Doctor injected himself with a Sedative to calm his fear.
• The Prison Doctor cut open Bai Suoyi's abdomen, but Lu Xiao watched without delivering the line the script expected.
• Shadow prompted Bai Suoyi, who struggled and said the wrong lines, forcing the Prison Doctor to improvise.
• The Prison Doctor explained that an anesthetic could ease the pain, and Lu Xiao finally pointed out that he had forgotten to inject the patient.

Lu Xiao helped the Prison Doctor operate on Bai Suoyi after knocking him unconscious, then asked the Prison Doctor to teach him medicine. The surgery succeeded, but the Prison Doctor regretted agreeing after Lu Xiao’s questions stretched it to four hours.

• The Prison Doctor explained that he could not operate without anesthetic, and Shadow urged him to save the badly injured Bai Suoyi.
• Lu Xiao knocked Bai Suoyi out with a chop to the neck, and Shadow prompted Bai Suoyi to pretend he had fainted.
• The Prison Doctor praised Lu Xiao’s idea, and Lu Xiao asked him to teach him medicine.
• The Prison Doctor removed necrotic tissue and stitched Bai Suoyi’s wounds while explaining each step to Lu Xiao.
• After the four-hour operation, the Prison Doctor regretted agreeing to teach Lu Xiao because his explanations had prolonged the surgery.