Chapter Summaries

Trapped in an underground cage beside a rising river, Qingmu realized he was in a real-scene dream, where actions in the dream were mirrored by his body in reality. He suspected Situ had been experimenting with a formation that could create a group real-scene dream.

• Qingmu inhaled water while hanging above the rising river and coughed until he could breathe again.
• Something dragged Han Laizi into the water, and he fell silent.
• After the water receded, Qingmu tried to force open his cage but found himself unable to exert any strength.
• Qingmu reviewed how he had entered the cave and concluded that his dream and real-world body were synchronized.
• Qingmu connected Situ's earlier arrangement of mirrors around Mo Yu to a possible experiment in creating a group real-scene dream.

Qingmu tried to understand the dream’s rules while Du Juan returned in a panic, unable to open the cages after Japanese soldiers appeared outside. Japanese soldiers entered the cave, killed a fleeing man, and carried Du Juan away, leaving Qingmu trapped in his cage.

• Qingmu reasoned that the dream must have a back door and that Du Juan had once used a flaw in its rules to move freely.
• Du Juan returned to the cave, panicked about Japanese soldiers outside, and failed to open Qingmu’s cage even with the keys she took from Han Bo.
• Lights appeared throughout the cave, and a fleeing man ran past Qingmu’s cage before Japanese soldiers shot and bayoneted him.
• The soldiers spotted Du Juan, seized her, and carried her away while Qingmu remained locked in his cage.

Qingmu realized mountain animals had preserved the abandoned collective dream and escaped his cage with Boss Coal’s help. They reached the Japanese soldiers’ camp, where Qingmu found several soldiers attacking Du Juan.

• Qingmu reasoned that animals entering through the underground river had sustained the dreamscape for decades.
• Boss Coal flew through Qingmu’s cage, and Qingmu walked out across the rising water.
• Qingmu and Boss Coal traveled through caves lined with more than two hundred cages and Japanese supply crates.
• Qingmu heard Du Juan calling for help and found Japanese soldiers pinning her down and stripping off her clothes.

Qingmu rescued Du Juan from Japanese soldiers and used his powers to kill most of the troops in the cave. He learned that the Japanese were imprisoning Chinese people and turning those who went mad into suicide squads, while the surviving young soldier revealed that it was Showa 17.

• Qingmu entered the cave, freed Du Juan, and crippled the Japanese soldiers who had attacked her.
• Qingmu stopped the soldiers’ bullets with an invisible barrier, then sent them back and killed dozens of Japanese troops.
• Qingmu immobilized Squad Leader Guisun, who died, while a young Japanese soldier surrendered.
• Qingmu questioned the soldier and learned that the cages held Chinese prisoners who were turned into suicide squads for the fighting at the Nu River.
• The soldier identified his unit, General Masao Watanabe, the year as Showa 17, and the dead squad leader as Kameson Kikutaji.

Qingmu questioned Du Juan about the cave’s hypnosis formation and learned that a hidden mechanism could grant control over it. He found the mechanism’s location and saw a strange symbol carved into the rock, leaving him to investigate its meaning.

• Qingmu questioned a young Japanese soldier about the caves and the prisoners, then sent him to sleep with Boss Coal’s song.
• Qingmu asked Du Juan to explain the cave’s rules, and she described its hypnosis formation and how Situ had used it to control the place.
• Du Juan told Qingmu about a mechanism hidden in a small opening beneath the underground river.
• Qingmu crawled into the opening after the water receded and spotted a symbol carved into the rock ceiling.

Qingmu encountered a consciousness imprint in the dream and began accepting it, but a surge of water triggered the dream’s collapse and left him back in the flooded cave. He discovered evidence that Kitano Masatake had created the dream, then found Du Juan dead and Han Laizi’s family trapped in cages.

• Qingmu recognized the triangles as a consciousness imprint and began accepting its etching while Du Juan and Boss Coal discussed what they had seen.
• Boss Coal pecked the symbol, triggering a torrent that swept him and Qingmu out of the cave and caused the dream to collapse.
• Qingmu awoke in the flooded cave, found the triangles carved into the roof, and read an inscription identifying Kitano Masatake as the dream’s creator.
• Qingmu found Du Juan submerged and dead, then saw human bones in cages along the riverbank.
• Qingmu found Han Laizi’s father and brothers imprisoned, saw Han Laizi floating dead, and took the cage keys for Xiaoqin to use if she chose to rescue them.

Peng Jiahu’s team was ambushed by armed bandits at the wooden house, suffering heavy losses as the house and a police vehicle exploded. Meanwhile, Shi Dazhuang waited anxiously for news of Qingmu, then took Yu Meiren to dinner, where a man with a suitcase approached their table.

• Peng Jiahu’s men found two bodies outside the wooden house and searched the area while the fat man checked inside.
• The wooden house exploded, killing Feizai, and bandits in the woods opened fire on Peng Jiahu’s team.
• Peng Jiahu’s team came under heavy attack; Datou was killed by a grenade, and a rocket destroyed the police SUV carrying Simao.
• Shi Dazhuang noticed that his call had disconnected and worried about Qingmu while Yu Meiren reassured him.
• Shi Dazhuang took Yu Meiren and Xiao Zhang to a rice noodle shop, where a bespectacled man with a suitcase asked to join their table.

Shi Dazhuang, Xiao Zhang, and Yu Meiren met Bai Xiaosan, a stranded traveler whose wallet and identity card had been stolen after the Mangdian Grand Hotel fire, and brought him to the police station. Bai’s poem moved Yu Meiren to tears as she said she missed her father, then a gunshot sounded outside when Xiao Zhang went to see whether Chief Meng had returned.

• Yu Meiren invited Bai Xiaosan to sit with their group, and Shi Dazhuang tested his claim that he came from Zhongshan by speaking Cantonese.
• Bai Xiaosan struggled with the spicy local rice noodles and explained that his wallet had been stolen while he watched the hotel fire.
• Xiao Zhang told Bai Xiaosan that they were from the police station, and the group returned there to take his statement.
• Bai Xiaosan recited a poem, prompting Yu Meiren to join in and then tell Shi Dazhuang that she missed her father.
• Xiao Zhang went outside after hearing a car arrive, and a gunshot rang out.

Shi Dazhuang fought off armed attackers at the police station while Peng Jiahu and Sanzi retreated through the rainforest under fire. The attackers withdrew in a pickup, and Peng Jiahu’s group remained in the dark woods as an engine started nearby.

• Shi Dazhuang switched off the light, told Beauty and Bai Xiaosan to hide, and moved toward the courtyard after gunfire erupted at the police station.
• Shi Dazhuang climbed along the corridor beam, killed two approaching bandits, and then took cover as three armed attackers returned fire and retreated toward a pickup.
• Peng Jiahu ordered Sanzi to fall back into the rainforest and evaded a rocket attack while covering their retreat.
• Peng Jiahu and Sanzi alternated covering each other as they withdrew deeper into the woods, then both sides stopped firing after darkness fell.
• Peng Jiahu heard an off-road pickup engine start in the woods and discarded his empty magazine.

Shi Dazhuang and Meng Yan stopped the gunmen, but discovered that Bai Xiaosan and Beauty had vanished. As Shi Dazhuang warned everyone about a suitcase, it exploded, hurling him and Meng Yan away.

• Shi Dazhuang shot a gunman trying to escape in the pickup and held the remaining attackers at bay from a tree.
• Meng Yan arrived with police and used firecrackers to make the gunmen flee, allowing Shi Dazhuang to shoot them dead.
• Shi Dazhuang and Meng Yan found Xiao Zhang dead, then realized Beauty and Bai Xiaosan had disappeared from the reception room.
• Shi Dazhuang told Meng Yan to search for Bai Xiaosan and the girl, but a young officer found a suitcase in the room.
• Shi Dazhuang shouted for everyone to run, and the suitcase exploded, hurling him and Meng Yan away.

After Mu Ka’s attack left officers dead and Yu Gang’s daughter missing, Shi Dazhuang received permission to lead the operation and pursued the criminals toward Kuaziba. The search split between Shi Dazhuang’s team and Peng Jiahu’s helicopter as the hunt continued into the night.

• Shi Dazhuang reported the attack to Director Yan, who authorized him to command the operation and ordered that the criminals be stopped within the country’s borders.
• Meng Yan organized a town-wide search, while Shi Dazhuang studied a map and decided Mu Ka was likely headed for Kuaziba.
• Peng Jiahu and Sanzi were rescued by helicopter, and Peng Jiahu learned that four of his officers had died and two were wounded.
• Shi Dazhuang directed Peng Jiahu to block the Nangou River route while he led men toward Kuaziba.
• Near Kuaziba, Shi Dazhuang sent Meng Yan’s group to Grandpa Enkun’s house and went to check Yu Gang’s grave.

Mu Ka tried to convince Yu Meiren that her father had been a corrupt drug kingpin, then rigged her father's grave with explosives as Big Daddy approached. Mu Ka and his accomplice fled with Yu Meiren, and an explosion went off behind them, leaving her fearing Big Daddy had been killed.

• Mu Ka confronted Yu Meiren at her father's grave and claimed her father had sold opium, betrayed Mu Kuo, and gotten Yu Meiren's mother addicted.
• Yu Meiren rejected Mu Ka's accusations and insisted that Big Daddy, Grandpa Qingmu, and her mother had told her the truth about her father.
• Hearing a car approaching, Mu Ka planted C4 and a detonator at the grave and ran a concealed wire toward a nearby tree.
• A long-haired man arrived, and he carried Yu Meiren away through the woods with Mu Ka.
• An explosion erupted in the direction of Kuaziba, and Yu Meiren cried out for Big Daddy as Mu Ka explained that light traveled faster than sound.

Shi Dazhuang found Mu Ka’s warning at Yu Gang’s grave, then rushed to Kuaziba after an explosion killed Meng Yan, two auxiliary officers, and Lemao. Qingmu escaped the cave’s Group Dream and realized its dreamscape extended into the surrounding forest, leaving him to wonder about Kitano Masatake and the hourglass symbol.

• Shi Dazhuang spotted a wire and C4 at Yu Gang’s grave, safely disarmed the trap, and found Mu Ka’s note directing him to the Nangou River.
• An explosion destroyed the gate to Old Enkun’s courtyard, where Shi Dazhuang found Meng Yan and two auxiliary officers fatally wounded, along with Lemao dead inside.
• Qingmu left the cave, checked that he was awake, and reflected on how a Group Dream could create an immense, lifelike world.
• Qingmu realized the dreamscape extended from the cave into the surrounding woods and wondered who Kitano Masatake was and what he had to do with the hourglass symbol.

Shi Dazhuang and Peng Jiahu watched helplessly as Mu Ka crossed into Mianyue with Yu Meiren, while Director Yan forbade them from crossing the border. Qingmu then declared that no one had authority over him and set out across the river alone.

• Shi Dazhuang’s team found a cave with diving gear and evidence that Mu Ka had crossed the river, then spotted Mu Ka carrying Yu Meiren toward the Mianyue outpost.
• Peng Jiahu and Shi Dazhuang wanted to cross and arrest Mu Ka, but Director Yan ordered them to wait for official instructions.
• Mu Ka taunted Shi Dazhuang over the loudhailer, threatened to torture and traffic Yu Meiren, and walked away with her.
• Shi Dazhuang and Peng Jiahu discarded their gear and offered to cross as civilians, but Director Yan stopped them and ordered everyone to stand by.
• Qingmu said he was not a police officer and that Director Yan had no authority over him, then took a map and boarded a bamboo raft toward the opposite bank.

Qingmu crossed into Mianyue and rode to Masuba to find Mu Ka before Yu Meiren was harmed. A madman led him to a western alley, where Qingmu learned Mu Ka and the girl were inside a nearby building.

• Qingmu understood and spoke Burmese, then persuaded a villager to lend him a motorcycle and rode toward Masuba.
• Qingmu failed to catch Mu Ka's jeep and decided to search Wu Suotun's residence for clues to Mu Ka's whereabouts.
• A madman from the cave recognized Qingmu and led him west through Masuba, where Qingmu scattered leaves disguised as banknotes to distract the women in the street.
• In a deep alley, Qingmu grabbed a tattooed man by the neck and demanded to know where Mu Ka and Yu Meiren were.
• The tattooed man pointed to a door and said Mu Ka and the girl were inside discussing business.

Qingmu forced a lookout to reveal that Decha was holding an auction for Beauty, then killed him and entered the courtyard to rescue her. After killing several armed men, Qingmu learned that Decha was in the second building on the right and shot the informant.

• Qingmu made the lookout reveal that Decha had brought Beauty to be auctioned to prostitution-street bosses, while Mu Ka was absent.
• Qingmu killed the lookout after realizing his dream of being stabbed reflected the man's true intentions, then asked the madman to guard the borrowed motorcycle.
• Qingmu entered the courtyard and attacked the armed men who reached for their weapons, killing several of them.
• Qingmu learned that Decha was in the second building on the right and shot the informant before he could finish pleading.

Decha negotiated with four crime bosses over three Chinese girls being sold into sexual exploitation when Qingmu arrived looking for another girl taken by Mu Ka. Qingmu offered to buy all three girls back and pulled out a stack of money, leaving the bosses uncertain how much he could pay.

• Decha presented three terrified Chinese girls to four crime bosses after Mu Ka took back another girl.
• The bosses argued with Decha over the missing girl and the price of the three girls, then backed down when Decha said General Wu Suotun wanted the one Mu Ka had taken.
• Gunshots sounded in the courtyard, and Qingmu entered the room in flip-flops after Decha's man failed to return.
• Qingmu asked Decha where Mu Ka had taken the girl from China and said he would take all three girls back as well.
• Decha offered to sell the girls for ten thousand US dollars each, and Qingmu agreed before pulling a stack of money from his pocket.

Qingmu killed Decha’s men and forced Decha to reveal the location of Wu Suotun’s villa, where Mu Ka and the girl were being held. After using Decha’s memories to reach the villa in his consciousness, Qingmu returned to the room and aimed his AK at Decha.

• Qingmu offered Decha money for the girls, then scattered the cash to distract the men in the room.
• Qingmu told the girls to close their eyes and ears, seized an AK, and killed everyone but Decha.
• Qingmu threatened Decha until he agreed to lead him to the villa where Wu Suotun took women.
• Qingmu entered Decha’s consciousness and used his memories to find the villa and see its known defenses.
• Qingmu returned to the room, where Decha saw him pull the AK’s trigger.

Qingmu rescued three little girls and left them at a restaurant while he went to save Yu Meiren. Drugged and dressed for the general, Yu Meiren hallucinated a fairy-tale wedding before recognizing Qingmu and fainting.

• Qingmu freed three little girls, found money on their captors, and promised to take them home.
• Qingmu left the girls and the madman at a restaurant with money for food, then rode off to find Yu Meiren.
• Two old serving women bathed and dressed Yu Meiren, then used a needle and an injection to make her cooperate with makeup.
• The drug made Yu Meiren imagine she was a princess awaiting a prince, while the servants prepared her for the general.
• Qingmu entered the room, and Yu Meiren recognized him as Grandpa Qingmu before she collapsed.

Qingmu rescued the unconscious Yu Meiren from Wu Suotun’s villa and unleashed his fury on the people who had drugged and abused her. He escaped with her as the villa exploded, and Yu Meiren woke in his arms, believing the gunfire and destruction had been a dream.

• Qingmu found needle marks on Yu Meiren and learned that the women had drugged her with Mu Ka’s approval.
• Qingmu killed the two older women with the needle they had used on Yu Meiren, then shot a man and a woman who confronted him.
• Qingmu fought his way through the villa’s guards, took their jeep, and ordered the driver to carry grenades and rockets inside and detonate them.
• Qingmu carried Yu Meiren away as the villa exploded, and she woke against his shoulder.
• Yu Meiren called Qingmu Papa Qingmu and agreed to help him cut down all the poppies.