Chapter Summaries

The Prison Doctor learned that the world he had entered had eradicated disease and felt he had no place in it. Meanwhile, the Warden learned that the Doctor could discuss his situation privately, but was startled by the Gambler's strange state.

• The Prison Doctor asked for a world map and patients, but the negotiator explained that advanced technology had eradicated disease and most doctors now created wellness plans.
• The Doctor told the Warden that this world's technology could not be replicated in the Present World because it depended on abilities, processing power, and calculations unavailable there.
• The Warden learned that the Doctor had modeled the world on the Present World, including its system, which was called Noah.
• The Gambler drank a can of beer and tossed it away, prompting the Warden to fixate on the empty can and complain about the thief in the Prison.
• The Doctor advised the Warden to merge with the one inside the Mind Prison and revealed that he had physically encrypted their conversation.
• The Warden looked at the Gambler and saw him staring wide-eyed with drool streaming from his mouth.

The Doctor warned that theft was assimilating the Warden, who refused to merge with Li Changqing’s personality yet. The Prison Doctor gained citizenship in Luofu District and discovered that advanced mechanical medicine had made his skills seem obsolete, so the negotiator directed him to the slums to find patients.

• The Doctor told the Warden that his compulsion to claim things showed that theft was assimilating him, but the Warden said merging with Li Changqing now was too risky.
• The Prison Doctor cooperated with the Luofu District General Bureau by giving blood samples in exchange for legal citizenship, a map, and a possible hospital job.
• The negotiator revealed that his injured arm had been replaced with a mechanical one, and the Prison Doctor offered to restore it before agreeing to examine him.
• The Prison Doctor found that the negotiator’s organs and tissues had also been replaced with machinery, leaving him in excellent health.
• The negotiator explained that mechanical modification was costly and uncommon outside wealthy cities, then advised the Prison Doctor to seek patients in the slums.

The chief of the Luofu District Police Department told the Prison Doctor that he and other genetic experiment survivors wanted to die with dignity, and asked for help easing their suffering. After the Doctor and Warden discussed whether psychological pain counted as illness, the Prison Doctor agreed to help, and the chief stamped his resignation letter.

• The Prison Doctor met the chief, who revealed that he was one of the earliest subjects of genetic experiments and said his illness came from a genetic defect.
• The chief explained that he and other survivors of his era wanted to die with dignity rather than have their mechanical body parts burned with them.
• The chief argued that psychological suffering was an illness and that relieving it was part of a doctor's work.
• The Warden said the chief's choice was his own and agreed that psychological pain could count as illness, while expressing sorrow about his own situation.
• The Prison Doctor agreed that easing the chief's suffering was part of his job, and the chief stamped his prepared resignation letter.

After years of treating the emotional struggles of Old Humans in a world without disease, the Prison Doctor completed his Deification Ritual but hesitated to ascend because he believed his purpose had vanished. The Doctor urged the Warden to return the memories he had stolen from the Prison Doctor, but the Warden claimed he could only steal memories and demonstrated that he had stolen the Gambler’s drink cans instead.

• The Prison Doctor traveled across the world, helping Old Humans reconcile with the new era or die with dignity.
• The Prison Doctor removed his final patient's mechanical prosthetics, pushed him into a cremation furnace, and buried his ashes at the foot of a verdant mountain.
• A bluestone stairway appeared, and the Prison Doctor realized his Deification Ritual was complete, but he hesitated to ascend because the world no longer needed him as a doctor.
• The Warden and the Doctor discussed the Prison Doctor's loss of purpose, while the Warden warned that ascending in that state could drive him mad.
• The Doctor asked the Warden to return the memories he had stolen from the Prison Doctor, but the Warden said he could only steal memories and shook drink cans out of his jacket.

Prison Doctor regained memories of his life as a human doctor and faced the plague-ravaged past on the stairway. He pressed onward by reciting his medical oath, and the light from his kerosene lamp grew bright as the medical workers he had transformed appeared beside him.

• Prison Doctor stepped onto the stairway, triggering memories of walking through a town devastated by plague.
• Prison Doctor offered to treat a dying patient, who warned him to leave before he became infected.
• The patient vanished, leaving behind a kerosene lamp and walking stick, and Prison Doctor continued up the stairs.
• Prison Doctor recited his oath as the plague weakened his body and threatening voices urged him to stop.
• Prison Doctor saw doctors and nurses advancing and reciting their vows, while his lamp blazed and the medical workers he had transformed appeared beside the stairway.

The Prison Doctor overcame his final trial and attained godhood, rejecting the idea that doctors should preserve disease to remain needed. Back in the C01 Containment Facility, the Doctor revealed that their planet was merely a pasture for Them and told the Prison Doctor to take Nini to Hell after treating her genetic collapse.

• The Prison Doctor climbed the Godhood Path after doctors from across history cleared the way, then passed the final trial by saying he hoped disease would soon be eradicated, even if that made him unnecessary.
• The Doctor revealed that he had prepared to kill the Prison Doctor if he failed the trial and became a mad deity, while the Warden and Gambler teased him about planning for that outcome.
• The Doctor asked the Prison Doctor to cure Nini's genetic collapse and take her to Hell, and the Prison Doctor agreed.
• The Doctor explained that Liangren, a favored one of 'Space,' had sent information from Hell revealing that their planet was merely Their pasture.

The Doctor explained that the Outsiders were Keepers who treated humanity like livestock and argued that they would not allow humans to perish. He interpreted Liangren’s letter as evidence that Earth was a safe zone outside the Rules’ conflict, while Hell was the first-stage battlefield where humanity could focus its attention.

• The Doctor warned the Warden that driving away the Keepers could bring stronger ones, so a counteroffensive was unnecessary.
• The Gambler reported that Adam’s Eden forces had reclaimed part of Europe, the Outsiders had not counterattacked, and the Pope’s Clone had turned Australia into a breeding ground for land-adapted marine creatures.
• The Warden revealed that Angel was a Holy Relic called Judgment housed in the Pope’s granddaughter, and the Gambler said the Church’s Lord had gone missing or departed.
• The Doctor reasoned that the Keepers would protect humanity because they were raising humans, then proposed that Earth lay in a safe zone behind the universe’s Rules conflict.
• The Doctor cited Liangren’s letter, which identified Hell as the first-stage battlefield and said humanity had obtained an entry ticket, with enemies potentially becoming allies.

Doctor argued that the Keepers’ construction project could be prolonged by resisting them, since the workers might benefit from delays and be influenced by human thinking. Gambler began to accept the theory, but Warden objected that cooperating with the Keepers would betray their country.

• Gambler questioned why Liangren would advise them to maintain the status quo if the Keepers could become allies, and Doctor explained the situation through a company-building-a-ranch analogy.
• Doctor argued that the construction crew could benefit from delays, especially after violent clashes with holdouts slowed progress and reduced the workers’ workload.
• Prison Doctor supported Doctor’s theory by describing how Outsiders could share human-like ways of thinking, and Doctor explained that assimilation influenced both sides.
• Doctor suggested cooperating with the Keepers, remaining holdouts, and sending people to communicate with them.
• Gambler said he was beginning to believe Doctor’s theory, while Warden condemned cooperation as betrayal because the Keepers intended to turn their land into a ranch.

Doctor’s proposal to cooperate with the Outsiders was rejected by the Warden and Gambler, so they agreed to focus on Hell and its final reward. Meanwhile, Calamity reached the center of the Thicket with Lu Xiao and unearthed an angry, misshapen creature.

• The Warden and Gambler rejected Doctor’s proposal to turn the Outsiders’ territory into a pasture, and Gambler warned that Antie would kill Doctor for suggesting cooperation.
• Doctor proposed maintaining the status quo and focusing on Hell, where humanity could compete for the final reward.
• The Warden said humanity lacked the resources for a large-scale war, and Doctor and the Warden looked to Gambler to use his Lies trait to supply them.
• Doctor suggested claiming that Hell Creatures’ blood was oil, and the Warden said the implausible lie could work, leaving Gambler alarmed.
• Calamity arrived at the center of the Thicket with Lu Xiao, shook the ground, and uncovered a fish-headed creature that cursed him for digging up its grave.

Calamity sought Old Feis’s help for the badly rotted Lu Xiao, but Old Feis directed him to the Postman at Universe Logistics instead. Meanwhile, the Prison Doctor cured a young girl, who remained despondent after asking why he had saved her.

• Calamity demanded that Old Feis help Lu Xiao, then used Lu Xiao’s unsettling behavior and a plea for sympathy to pressure him.
• Old Feis said he could not heal Lu Xiao but told Calamity to take him to the Postman, since Space was on good terms with the being backing Lu Xiao.
• Calamity flew north with Lu Xiao, while Old Feis reflected on Fate, a prophecy, and the coming turmoil in Hell.
• The Prison Doctor told the young girl she was cured, and she asked why he had saved her.
• The Prison Doctor said he had saved her because he was a doctor, then gently rested his hand on her head as her eyes dulled again.

The Doctor tried to give Liu Ni a reason to live by telling her about those who had sacrificed for her and revealing that Mr. Shadow was her father. The Warden and Doctor then discussed their rejected plan to drive Liu Ni mad and take her authority, while the Prison Doctor warned that she was emotionally unstable.

• The Doctor told Liu Ni about Li Munan and the sacrifices others had made to save her, then urged her to live for herself.
• The Doctor showed Liu Ni a genetic report proving that Liu Guang was her father and told her that Mr. Shadow had fallen in the line of duty.
• Liu Ni broke down in tears, and the Prison Doctor took her away to rest.
• The Doctor told the Warden that he had provoked Liu Ni to keep the 'life' trait from driving her mad, and the Warden admitted he had opposed killing her because she was Liu Guang's daughter.
• The Prison Doctor returned and warned that Liu Ni was emotionally unstable and that the Doctor had pushed her too far.

The Doctor and his companions calmed Liu Ni after her ability and emotions spiraled out of control, and she woke from Little Black’s dream with her composure restored. In Hell, Liangren diagnosed Lu Xiao’s madness and said the inherited authority had to be separated from him, then went deeper into the Post Office to act.

• The Doctor summoned Lu Qian and Little Black to soothe Liu Ni, whose uncontrolled ability had covered her in growing flesh sprouts.
• Lu Qian sang to Liu Ni and gave her paper flowers, while Little Black created a dream of Liu Ni growing up with her father, Liu Guang.
• The Doctor explained that Liu Ni’s ability had overwhelmed her after her rank rose and that shock had worsened her emotional state; Liu Ni thanked him and Little Black.
• Calamity carried Lu Xiao into the Post Office in Hell, where Liangren recognized that another person’s obsession and madness had affected him.
• Liangren told Calamity that Lu Xiao’s inherited authority was assimilating him and that they needed to separate it from him, then went farther into the Post Office.

Calamity learned that Liangren’s Lord could separate Lu Xiao’s soul if Death temporarily allied with Space. After Calamity agreed, a godlike postman split Lu Xiao into three figures, and two souls rejoined his body as it began to recover.

• Liangren told Calamity that Lu Xiao’s condition could be resolved by splitting his soul, but said his Lord required Death to temporarily join forces with Space.
• Liangren explained that Old Feis had likely sent Calamity under Death’s guidance, and Calamity agreed to the alliance.
• A postman sent by Liangren’s Lord sealed off the space and split Lu Xiao into his rotting body and two soul figures.
• The figure resembling Liu Guang entered Lu Xiao’s left eye, while the figure with Lu Xiao’s original appearance attached himself to the body.
• Lu Xiao’s rotten flesh fell away to reveal new flesh, and his eyes showed weariness on the left and self-reproach on the right.

Lu Xiao helped the Postman accept a new identity as Lu Liangren, then left the Post Office with Calamity, who chose to look like Liu Guang. As they flew away together, Lu Xiao silently resolved to fulfill Calamity’s wish for a new home.

• Lu Xiao reminded Liangren to keep authority as a tool, then offered him the surname Lu, and Liangren accepted the name Lu Liangren.
• Lu Xiao gave Calamity another human skin, and Calamity made Lu Xiao change his appearance to match Liu Guang’s.
• Lu Xiao told Calamity that he had given Lu Liangren a surname as an anchor to keep him from harming humanity, and Calamity realized Lu Liangren had understood his motives.
• Lu Xiao asked Calamity whether he missed his destroyed Home Planet, and Calamity said he would cling to Lu Xiao if Lu Xiao had destroyed it, hoping he would create a thousand planets for him.
• Lu Xiao and Calamity laughed together as they flew toward the horizon, while Lu Xiao silently promised to make Calamity’s wish come true.

Lu Xiao and Calamity went to the Holy City to check on Ding Dan, but learned that he had gone to the Succubus Settlement. They set off to find him, with Lu Xiao intent on keeping him from becoming a tyrant.

• Calamity flew Lu Xiao to the Holy City, where they found its ruins beside a crude palace.
• Calamity collapsed the palace with an earthquake, and Lu Xiao realized Ding Dan was not there.
• Lu Xiao interrogated a captured Hell being, who told him Ding Dan had gone to the Succubus Settlement.
• Calamity asked why Lu Xiao had frightened the Hell being, and Lu Xiao called it intimidation.
• Lu Xiao and Calamity headed for the Succubus Settlement so Lu Xiao could set Ding Dan straight.

Ding Dan taxed the Succubus Clan and took away twelve deities, leaving Ruiqi furious and Yi Hao confused. After Lu Xiao arrived, Amilia explained that the supposedly stupid Minotaur Tribe was a powerful major tribe with a deity who wielded the authority of strength.

• Ding Dan arrived with twelve deities, forcibly levied taxes on Ruiqi, then left with the deities despite gaining nothing from the Succubus Clan.
• Ruiqi told Lu Xiao about her recent troubles, while Lu Xiao warned Yi Hao that something was wrong with Ding Dan.
• Amilia appeared and explained that the Minotaur Tribe was not truly stupid and had developed into a major tribe through its strength and fertility.
• Amilia revealed that the Minotaur Tribe had a deity with two authorities, and Ruiqi said the deity had once fought at full strength in Hell.
• Amilia explained that the deity’s strength had once made the Minotaur Tribe one of Hell’s foremost tribes, comparable in overall power to the Royal Family.

Amilia explained how the Minotaur Tribe’s two Deities, wielders of the authorities of “Power” and “Wisdom,” brought the Royal Family close to ruin before the tribe was cursed. Lu Xiao concluded that the second Deity may have survived his apparent death, though his whereabouts remained unknown.

• Amilia said the first Minotaur Deity fell to the Royal Family’s Great Demons, but his child reclaimed the authority of “Power” and became the tribe’s second Deity.
• The Royal Family attacked again, and the second Deity revealed he also wielded “Wisdom”; despite killing three Great Demons, he appeared to die of exhaustion, and the Royal Family won.
• Amilia explained that other races attacked the Royal Family after its losses, forcing it to abandon plans to destroy the Minotaur Tribe; the High Priest then sacrificed himself to curse the tribe’s descendants with low intelligence.
• Amilia recalled meeting the second Deity and said his wisdom had nearly persuaded him to work for free, comparing it to a greater despair than Mr. Antie’s.
• Lu Xiao reasoned that the second Deity might have hidden himself or left the settlement, then thought of Elder Niu Bo.

Lu Xiao questioned Amilia about the final showdown and learned it would offer one opportunity to become a god, while suspecting that Amilia wanted it for himself. He then asked Ruiqi to bring Antie to him, only to learn that Antie had faked his death and gone into hiding.

• Lu Xiao realized Niu Bo might be the surviving holder of strength and wisdom, who had hidden from the Royal Family for a very long time.
• Lu Xiao asked Amilia what the final showdown meant, and Amilia revealed that it would provide one opportunity to become a god.
• Lu Xiao sensed Amilia was eager for the opportunity but stopped questioning him because he did not know what else to ask.
• Lu Xiao asked Ruiqi how long her wager with Antie had been underway, and she said half of the two-month period had passed.
• Lu Xiao asked Ruiqi to bring Antie to him, and Yi Hao explained that Antie had faked his death to retreat behind the scenes.

Lu Xiao took Ruiqi with him and sent Yi Hao back to the Holy City to try to strip Ding Dan of his power, while Amilia stayed behind to finish Antie’s task. Meanwhile, Futiya praised Antie as a handsome older man while preparing to move the remaining Wanderers.

• Ruiqi realized Yi Hao and Amilia had tricked her, but Lu Xiao interrupted the argument to ask where Antie had gone.
• Lu Xiao invited Ruiqi to travel with him and told Yi Hao to return to the Holy City and try to remove Ding Dan from power.
• Amilia said she would stay until she finished Antie’s task, and Lu Xiao told her to find him afterward.
• Lu Xiao, Calamity, and Ruiqi left, planning to seek Antie for help dealing with Ding Dan.
• In the underground cavern, Antie prepared to lead the fewer than one hundred remaining Wanderers to migrate, while Futiya described him to another Succubus as a handsome older man.

Antie prepared to lead the Wanderers away, but an approaching Adult Hell Worm startled them before Lu Xiao, Ruiqi, and Calamity arrived. Lu Xiao found Antie and asked for his advice, leaving Antie to remind him to use the name Icarus and call a meeting next time.

• Futiya and Liv finished discussing Antie's abilities while the Wanderers packed their supplies for migration.
• A Wanderer reported that the group was ready to move, and Futiya told him to inform Chief Icarus.
• The ground shook, and the Wanderers feared that an Adult Hell Worm was approaching as Antie readied his water mist.
• Lu Xiao, Ruiqi, and Calamity entered the cavern, and Lu Xiao exclaimed that he had found Antie.
• Antie told Lu Xiao to call him Icarus and reminded him to arrange a meeting instead of arriving unexpectedly.