Chapter Summaries

Li Luo learned about Pipeline Fortress’s growth and the staff member’s theory that it might be a living creature, then registered the Pain Transfer Tablet and searched its records. She found the unexplained entries “0122” and “Permission,” but could not determine what they meant.

• The staff member told Li Luo that Pipeline Fortress grew from a Relic’s Fortress Core and speculated that it might be a living creature or its remains.
• The staff member explained Pipeline Fortress’s registration procedures and offered a Synchronization Rate test, lodging, and a control program; Li Luo postponed the test and declined the program for now.
• Li Luo registered the Pain Transfer Tablet and connected her electronic screen to Pipeline Fortress’s internal network.
• After the staff member left, Li Luo searched the tablet’s record and found the entries “0122” and “Permission” beneath its hunter-donation note.
• Li Luo searched the Database for the meaning of the entries but found no answers and wondered if they had been added without significance.

Li Luo found her assigned room in Pipeline Fortress’s residential district and collapsed onto the sofa to rest. While examining the room and its surroundings, Mo Ling wondered whether the number “0122” in the Pain Transfer Tablet’s records referred to an old room designation.

• Li Luo followed the staff’s directions through Pipeline Fortress and saw guards using strange pipe-powered devices to move their heavy backpacks.
• Li Luo reached the Thirteenth Residential District, Second Pipeline Row, fifth level, Room Three, verified her identity, and entered her furnished room.
• Li Luo put down her backpack and lay down on the sofa, exhausted.
• Mo Ling examined the residential district’s carved room numbers and inferred how its former numbering system worked.
• Mo Ling considered whether “0122” might be an old room number recorded when Pipeline Fortress was first established.

Li Luo learned that the numbers linked to the Pain Transfer Tablet might point to Zero District, an abandoned residential area beneath the First District. Still suffering the Relic’s side effects, she followed the map into the district and reached its ruined facilities.

• Li Luo woke from a blurry dream about Doctor Liu and told Mo Ling that the Pain Transfer Tablet’s side effects were still affecting her.
• Mo Ling offered to help Li Luo investigate the Relic’s origin.
• Li Luo found Database records explaining that Zero District was an abandoned former residential area in Pipeline Fortress.
• Li Luo located Zero District beneath the First District and set out with her backpack.
• Li Luo followed a worn pipeline downward and reached old, dilapidated facilities.

Li Luo and the Cube found a strange room in the First Pipeline Row, its walls and floor covered in dried blood, with a fresh right index finger hidden beneath the stains. The Cube discovered that whenever a finger left the ground, an identical one appeared in its place, leaving Li Luo and Mo Ling unsure what would happen if two fingers remained on the ground.

• Li Luo searched the disordered passages for the First Pipeline Row until the Cube guided her to an unmarked room.
• Li Luo found the room empty except for thick, dried blood covering its walls and floor.
• The Cube exposed a fresh right index finger beneath the blood, and Li Luo found it soft and apparently newly severed.
• Li Luo and the Cube uncovered more identical right index fingers, matching in size, shape, and fingerprints.
• Mo Ling discovered that whenever a finger left the ground, a new identical finger appeared beneath the bloodstains.

Li Luo’s two fingers joined and triggered a shockwave that turned the room’s dried blood into a flood, swallowing her and the Cube. Inside the Sea of Blood, Mo Ling lost his memories and senses, learned to perceive the world through touch among strange companions, and ended by asking what they were.

• Li Luo lowered the two fingers to the floor, where they joined the other finger and formed a ball that sent out a shockwave.
• The shockwave restored the dried blood to fresh, flowing blood, flooding the chamber and pulling Li Luo and the Cube into a Sea of Blood.
• Mo Ling was swept into the red sea, lost his senses and memories, and nearly forgot himself until an elongated creature touched him.
• The creature guided Mo Ling to meet other companions, who taught him to explore the world and communicate through touch.
• Mo Ling learned the companions’ different patterns and a simple touch-language, then asked one of them what they were.

Mo Ling learned from an old jelly companion that the Finger Worms had retreated into their mountain cave because exploring the Outside World brought danger, leaving the Newborns unable to understand anything they had never touched. The companion urged Mo Ling to explore the world before it died.

• Mo Ling asked what the companions were, and the jelly companion told him they were Finger Worms.
• The jelly companion explained that touch helped Finger Worms understand the world but exposed them to deadly dangers and calamities.
• The Finger Worms retreated into the mountain cave, where Newborns forgot words and grew less able to think about the world outside.
• The jelly companion told Mo Ling it was about to die and urged him to touch the world beyond the mountain cave.

After Old Finger Worm died, Mo Ling left Mountain Cave to fulfill its wish and experience the world firsthand. He discovered the sensations behind familiar finger worm words, then reached the sea and turned away when its waves blocked his path.

• Old Finger Worm died, and Mo Ling mourned with his companion before burying it.
• Mo Ling said goodbye to his companions and left Mountain Cave to follow Old Finger Worm's final wish.
• Mo Ling felt sunlight and explored the flowers, grass, soil, and stones, learning their differences through touch.
• Mo Ling climbed a mountain and experienced cloud mist and a violent storm.
• Mo Ling reached a beach, recognized the sea from its crashing waves, and turned in another direction.

Mo Ling was swallowed by a collapsing Sand Sea during a disaster, but discovered he could escape by creating a Cubical Void and repeatedly leaping across the unstable sand. After surviving, he feared that exploring the world would eventually kill him.

• Mo Ling felt the sand tremble and sink, recognized that he might be facing a disaster, and was swallowed by the Sand Sea.
• As the sand threatened to crush him, Mo Ling touched a Sand Wave and triggered a massive Cubical Void that let him escape into a deep pit.
• Mo Ling realized the vibrations made the sand collapse under weight, then survived by repeatedly jumping to new spots until the tremors stopped.
• After escaping, Mo Ling understood why the elder Finger Worms had abandoned exploration and became paralyzed by fear of the next disaster.

Mo Ling crossed the Sand Sea and reached an ancient tree, where a creature caught and tore him apart. As he lay dying, he recalled the sensations he had experienced and accepted the risks he had chosen to take.

• Mo Ling overcame his fear, crossed the dunes, and crawled out of the Sand Sea.
• Mo Ling touched an ancient tree and was seized by a creature that threw him among sharp branches and objects.
• Mo Ling used his Cubical Void ability to slice through the branches and escape, but the creature caught him again.
• The creature tore off half of Mo Ling's body, then suddenly collapsed after an unknown force struck it.
• As sunlight fell on him, Mo Ling recalled everything he had touched and died without regretting leaving the mountain cave.

Mo Ling escaped the Predatory Bird flock with his companion and learned that he was an Ear Fly, though he remained unsure of his identity. After they warned a coastal tribe about the birds, its Great Chieftain ordered the tribe to flee.

• Mo Ling understood his buzzing companion’s warning and fled as the Predatory Birds devastated the forest.
• Mo Ling and his companion learned that the birds had begun killing one another after exhausting the forest’s food, and his companion explained how quickly they reproduced.
• Mo Ling realized he looked like an Ear Fly and could use its abilities, but he could not remember what he had been before.
• Mo Ling and his companion reached a sea cave and warned its Ear Fly tribe that the Predatory Birds had entered the forest.
• The Great Chieftain ordered the tribe to run, while a guard protested that they could not keep fleeing forever.

The Great Chieftain told Mo Ling and the earflies how the Predatory Birds had destroyed their civilization and forced them to flee repeatedly. As the tribe prepared to migrate again, the earfly who brought Mo Ling claimed that the Tree Hole Tribe had found a way to fight the birds, though they had failed.

• The guard questioned whether the earflies could safely migrate, and the Great Chieftain insisted that staying would mean everyone died.
• The Great Chieftain recounted how the earflies had built a civilization devoted to studying sound before the Predatory Birds attacked and massacred them.
• The Great Chieftain described the tribe’s repeated escapes, the deaths of Newborns during migration, and the Old Chieftain’s death at the birds’ claws.
• The earfly who brought Mo Ling said the Predatory Birds were not invincible and that the Tree Hole Tribe had found a way to deal with them, but had failed.

The Pioneer Ear Flies studied Predatory Bird calls and devised a plan to make the flock destroy itself before finishing off the survivors with resonant sound waves. They brought the plan to the Tree Hole Tribe’s chief, who questioned whether it would endanger the entire tribe.

• The Pioneer Ear Flies chose to seek out Predatory Birds and study their calls from beyond the flock’s hunting range.
• They learned to imitate the birds’ simple cries and observed their merciless fighting over prey, young, and one another.
• After compiling a system for the Predatory Birds’ language, the Pioneer Ear Flies returned to the Tree Hole Tribe as the flock’s hunting range neared.
• The Pioneer Ear Flies proposed provoking the birds into repeated fights, then using coordinated sound waves to kill the few survivors.
• The chief of the Tree Hole Tribe asked whether the plan would put the entire tribe in danger.

The Tree Hole chief weighed the pioneers’ untested plan to use imitated Birdsong to make Predatory Birds attack one another. He chose to risk the tribe’s safety, and the Ear Flies rallied behind him, determined to fight so future generations could live without fear.

• The pioneers explained that Predatory Birds chose targets by how much meat they offered and would likely attack one another before the tiny Ear Flies, though the plan remained untested.
• The chief gathered the Tree Hole Tribe and asked whether they wanted to keep fleeing or try to resist the Predatory Birds.
• The chief told the Ear Flies that even failure would leave knowledge, experience, and the enduring sound of their defiance for future resisters.
• The chief asked the pioneers to teach him the Predatory Birds’ language, and Ear Flies crowded forward to join the plan.
• The Ear Flies rallied around the hope that their Newborns could someday hear the world’s beautiful sounds without fear.

The Tree Hole Tribe’s plan to turn the Predatory Birds against one another killed many birds but ended in disaster, with fewer than one in ten of the tribe surviving. After hearing the survivor’s account, the Great Chieftain decided to learn the Predatory Birds’ language and continue the plan.

• The Ear Flies provoked Predatory Birds into bloody fights, killing many but losing most of the tribe’s fighters.
• The surviving Ear Flies fled as the Predatory Birds attacked them and other creatures throughout the forest.
• A Tree Hole Tribe survivor told the Great Chieftain that fewer than one in ten of the tribe had survived.
• The Great Chieftain asked whether the survivor had learned the Predatory Birds’ language, then ordered the guard to gather the Ear Flies so they could learn it.
• The Great Chieftain told the confused survivor that the plan had not failed and was still underway.

The Great Chieftain rallied the Cavern Tribe to continue the Tree Hole Tribe’s plan by luring the Predatory Birds into the cavern and provoking them into fighting. With Mo Ling and the survivor helping them prepare and practice, the earflies finished turning the cavern into a trap and waited for the flock to arrive.

• The Great Chieftain told the earflies about the Predatory Birds and explained how the Cavern Tribe could use the cavern to continue the Tree Hole Tribe’s plan.
• The earflies pledged to fight despite the risk of death and asked the survivor from the Tree Hole Tribe to teach them the Predatory Birds’ language.
• Mo Ling and the survivor tested how sound traveled through the cavern and reported hiding places and tactics to the Great Chieftain.
• The Great Chieftain organized the earflies to learn the cavern’s positions, seal side entrances, and make the main entrance conspicuous to the Predatory Birds.
• The earflies practiced imitating the Predatory Birds’ calls as the flock approached the coast.

Mo Ling gradually overcame his confusion by listening to the world and continued helping the Ear Flies prepare for the Predatory Birds’ return. When the weakened flock forced its way into the cavern, a piercing birdsong triggered a sudden melee among the birds.

• Mo Ling reflected on how the Ear Flies understood sound as the vitality of the world and found his sense of purpose growing clearer.
• The survivor told Mo Ling that Ear Flies learned to adapt to the world’s endless noise, and that hearing more would bring understanding.
• Mo Ling worked with the other Ear Flies to improve their battle plan as scouts reported that the Predatory Birds were heading toward the coast in reduced numbers.
• The Great Chieftain ordered the Ear Flies to prepare for battle, and a few days later the Predatory Birds began crowding into the caverns.
• A piercing birdsong echoed through the caverns, causing the Predatory Birds to stop advancing and attack one another.

Mo Ling and the earflies’ plan turned the Predatory Birds against one another in the karst caves, but the flock’s numbers remained immense and it began searching for other ways inside. The survivor warned that the birds might find the underwater Seabed Cave entrance, leaving the earflies’ rear exposed.

• The earflies’ imitated birdsong drove the Predatory Birds into a brutal, self-sustaining melee at the cave entrance, while Mo Ling grew frustrated that the flock outside showed no sign of thinning.
• The survivor explained that the cramped battlefield was not killing enough birds and warned that the flock might find hidden entrances, so the Great Chieftain ordered the earflies to spread out.
• Mo Ling and the survivor hid beside a sealed entrance, where their birdsong caused incoming Predatory Birds to attack their companions and start another melee.
• Mo Ling heard that battles had begun at other hidden entrances, but the survivor feared the Predatory Birds would find another route and sent Mo Ling to warn the Great Chieftain about the Seabed Cave entrance.
• Mo Ling questioned whether Predatory Birds could swim, as the survivor worried that they might reach the seabed caves and circle behind the earflies’ defenses.

Mo Ling guarded the Seabed Cave and used the surrounding vibrations to detect Predatory Birds emerging from underwater. When the birds ignored the earflies’ imitated birdsong and attacked, Mo Ling realized water pressure had damaged their hearing.

• Mo Ling warned the Great Chieftain that Predatory Birds might enter through the Seabed Cave, and the Great Chieftain sent him and several earflies to guard it.
• Mo Ling listened to the underwater vibrations and sensed a concealed sound approaching the surface.
• Predatory Birds emerged from the seawater, ignored the earflies’ birdsong, and began slaughtering them in the cave.
• Mo Ling observed that the Predatory Birds shook their heads, scratched their ears, and moved unsteadily as they attacked.
• Mo Ling concluded that water pressure had damaged the Predatory Birds’ hearing.

The Predatory Birds overcame the earflies’ Birdsong defense, leaving Mo Ling helpless as the Cavern Tribe faced slaughter. When a predator attacked him, Mo Ling somehow broke its neck without sound or vibration, discovering an ability that challenged his belief that the weak could never change.

• The Predatory Birds’ damaged hearing made them immune to the earflies’ Birdsong, and the earflies’ defensive line collapsed as they fled.
• The Predatory Birds hunted down earflies hiding in passages and Rock Crevices, while Mo Ling felt powerless against their attack on the Cavern Tribe.
• Mo Ling stayed motionless on a rock wall as a Predatory Bird approached, wounded him, and tried to eat him.
• The Predatory Bird’s head fell when Mo Ling focused on its neck, and he realized he had broken it without sound or vibration.
• Mo Ling sensed a silent box around the cut and began to form a new understanding of his power.

Mo Ling discovered that he could erase vibrations, allowing him to eliminate the Predatory Birds and seal the cave’s entrance with their remains. After returning to the Earflies, he learned that their victory had come at a devastating cost: the Great Chieftain had sacrificed himself.

• Mo Ling imagined a Predatory Bird’s vibrations disappearing, and a Cubical Void swallowed it whole.
• Mo Ling erased the vibrations of Predatory Birds throughout the cave, killing or dismembering them, then blocked the Sea Surface passage with their remains.
• Mo Ling concluded that perception and the act of striking determined how objects were known, but an unknown strike jolted him back to reality.
• The Survivor and Earflies carried Mo Ling to the cave’s depths, where the Survivor told him the Predatory Birds had been eliminated.
• Mo Ling warned the Earflies about the Birds’ immunity to Birdsong and learned that the main flock remained at Sky's End Mountain.
• The Survivor revealed that the Great Chieftain had sacrificed himself.