Chapter Summaries

Song Xiaozhu spent Quantum Coins to develop a personal terminal and, after several failed attempts, successfully synthesized one. It contained a contact named Lu Xiaofang, and Song Xiaozhu began testing whether the Synthesizer had connected the device to people she knew.

• Song Xiaozhu examined a level 1 warehouse recipe and imagined how a Base Manager could help her employees store and retrieve materials.
• She recorded the personal terminal recipe, spent Quantum Coins on materials, and failed several synthesis attempts before producing a terminal on her fourth try.
• Song Xiaozhu powered on the terminal with an Awakening Stone Fragment and found Lu Xiaofang in its friends list.
• After Xiao He could not explain the contact, Song Xiaozhu reasoned that the Synthesizer might have linked the terminal to people she knew and thought of Fan Cang and Mu Qing.

Song Xiaozhu explored how the Workbench connected her personal terminal to Skynet and let her create an alias and access trading stalls. She learned about the terminal’s markets and currencies, and found potential buyers for some of the supplies she could make.

• Song Xiaozhu saw Fan Cang and Mu Qing appear on her friends list, then found the list empty again when she dismissed the Workbench.
• Song Xiaozhu examined her personal terminal and found that most functions required a connection to Skynet.
• Song Xiaozhu used the Workbench to reconnect the terminal, enter “He” as an alias, and discover that changing her name would cost Quantum Coins.
• Song Xiaozhu opened the Skynet stalls and learned that they supported buying and selling with four currencies tied to major organizations.
• Song Xiaozhu browsed purchase orders for Awakening Stones, equipment, medicines, and clean water, but found no demand for her tool set.

Song Xiaozhu investigated the outside world through Skynet’s news and learned that all ninety-nine Testing Grounds had broken open, releasing the God-Favored. Li Shijian’s announcement that the God-Favored would compete for the Han-Tang Group’s inheritance left her suspecting that he was connected to Li Shihai’s assassination.

• Song Xiaozhu considered selling clean water but worried that shipping from Test Site 49 would expose her, and she decided she could not trust the fake Leina to help her.
• Xiao He offered to use Lu Xiaofang’s personal terminal to check her situation, revealing that it could capture images and audio and alarming Song Xiaozhu with its surveillance ability.
• Song Xiaozhu read Skynet’s headlines and learned that Fan Cang and Zhou Lansi had killed other God-Favored.
• Song Xiaozhu pieced together the dates of the Testing Grounds’ breaches and learned that all ninety-nine had broken open by September 9, with at least two God-Favored from each.
• Song Xiaozhu watched Li Shijian declare that the God-Favored who gathered all Creator fragments would inherit the Han-Tang Group, and recognized him as Li Shihai’s younger brother.

Song Xiaozhu discovered that the blank God-Favored entry from Test Site No. 49 was her, while the rankings recorded the deaths caused by other God-Favored. She learned more about the Han-Tang Group’s deadly experiment and the factions that had formed after Li Shihai’s death as breaches continued to endanger ordinary people.

• Song Xiaozhu checked her quest values and realized the blank-name God-Favored with a slaughter value of zero was her.
• Song Xiaozhu saw that Fan Cang and the higher-ranked God-Favored had slaughter values representing human deaths, with Shang Xiaoyue ranked first at 100,000.
• Song Xiaozhu recalled that Li Siyuan had known nothing of the Han-Tang Group’s century-long experiment, which Li Shijian continued after Li Shihai’s assassination.
• Song Xiaozhu read that Li Shijian’s takeover had split the Han-Tang Group, while An Wenmiao led the Ten Nations Technology alliance.
• Song Xiaozhu learned that the Day After Tomorrow Society rescued displaced ordinary people outside the Holy City, where breaches in isolation zones continued to appear.

Song Xiaozhu rejected the pressure to pursue a zero Slaughter Value or compete for the crown, and learned that level four would unlock modern weapons. She spent Quantum Coins to investigate Lu Xiaofang, whose failed scheme had left her in debt.

• Song Xiaozhu told Xiao He she might fight back to protect herself and others, and Xiao He called her a good person.
• Xiao He revealed that level four offered chips, combat vehicles, and drones, prompting Song Xiaozhu to plan to arm Liu Family Village and the Scavenger Community.
• Song Xiaozhu decided not to obsess over her Slaughter Value and asked Xiao He to investigate Lu Xiaofang for 100 Quantum Coins.
• Song Xiaozhu watched footage showing that Lu Xiaofang had lost money after the 370 Polluted Beast hearts she acquired contained no Awakening Stone Fragments.
• Lu Xiaochu reassured Lu Xiaofang that her remaining silver coins and future work would cover their expenses and help them recover.

Song Xiaozhu observed Lu Xiaofang and her sickly twin sister Lu Xiaochu, learning about their hardship and Lu Xiaofang’s work as a Traveling Merchant in the Holy City’s lower city. After earning only ten silver coins for a day’s deliveries, Lu Xiaofang was urged by a Beast Merchant to risk renting Gorilla Beasts for a more profitable venture.

• Lu Xiaochu warned Lu Xiaofang against scamming powerful people for money to buy a Breakthrough Stone, while Lu Xiaofang insisted her sister’s illness was not life-threatening.
• Song Xiaozhu recognized that Lu Xiaofang and Lu Xiaochu were twin sisters and learned that Lu Xiaofang was a Traveling Merchant and Lu Xiaochu was a Gatherer.
• Lu Xiaofang left breakfast and a note for Lu Xiaochu, then went out into the Holy City’s impoverished lower city.
• Lu Xiaofang delivered goods and food for the Merchants’ Guild throughout the day, earning ten silver coins.
• A Beast Merchant urged Lu Xiaofang to rent three Gorilla Beasts and try making money outside the city again.

Song Xiaozhu watched Lu Xiaofang outsmart beast merchant Guang Qin and learned that the Three Kills Gang might target Liu Family Village, where an “expert” could stop them. She ended the viewing with firsthand information about the gang and a promising middleman.

• Guang Qin tried to persuade Lu Xiaofang to rent three Gorilla Beasts, but she used his offer to get away with paying only 10 silver coins.
• Lu Xiaofang returned home and told Lu Xiaochu that she had lost 300 silver coins after renting Polluted Beasts to beat the Three Kills Gang to a target.
• Lu Xiaofang said the Three Kills Gang would not survive an attack on Liu Family Village, especially with a formidable expert there, while Lu Xiaochu worried about the gang.
• Song Xiaozhu ended the viewing and decided the 110 Quantum Coins had been worthwhile because she had found a middleman and gained firsthand information about the Three Kills Gang.

Song Xiaozhu chose the quest to protect base members and began preparing for the Three Kills Gang’s invasion by organizing defenses, construction, and resource gathering. She ended the chapter with Luo Liuzi returning with a full load of yellow medicinal raw material, while the area beyond the isolation barrier appeared empty after the beast tide.

• Song Xiaozhu learned that Growth Quest 9 offered a choice between killing 500 invaders and protecting 3,000 base members within seven days, then chose the protection quest.
• Song Xiaozhu planned to gather yellow medicinal raw material and Energy Fragments, build up the village’s warehouses and defenses, and use Tian Man to bring back Leadership Value and materials.
• Song Xiaozhu coordinated defensive plans with Liu Xuangang and construction plans with Xiao Yunjie, reassured Deer Town’s villagers and lumberjacks, and exchanged 30,000 Leadership Value for 150 Quantum Coins.
• Song Xiaozhu spent Quantum Coins upgrading the Advanced Beast Trap and Advanced Pickaxe recipes, but worried about the large quantities of Energy Fragments needed to build warehouses.
• Luo Liuzi returned with a full load of yellow medicinal raw material, while Xiao Tong reported that the area beyond the isolation barrier was empty after the beast tide receded.

Song Xiaozhu collected Leadership Value from her employees and used it to buy Quantum Coins before messaging Lu Xiaofang from an account with no identifying details. Lu Xiaofang feared the mysterious sender was a ghost or a powerful figure who might threaten her and her sister.

• Song Xiaozhu told Luo Liuzi and Xiao Tong to rest for a day because the pollution outside had worsened.
• Tian Man returned with 20 stacks of iron raw material, and Song Xiaozhu praised him while Xiao He’s announcements earned her another 60,000 Leadership Value.
• Song Xiaozhu exchanged the Leadership Value for 300 Quantum Coins and later messaged Lu Xiaofang with a greeting from her blank account.
• Lu Xiaofang saw that the sender’s name, location, and terminal number were all blank, and feared the account belonged to a ghost or someone with extraordinary influence.
• Song Xiaozhu deliberately waited to frighten Lu Xiaofang, who eventually asked who was messaging her and worried that the sender might target her and her sister.

Lu Xiaofang received orders from Song Xiaozhu to transport a shipment from Liu Family Village to the Holy City, and became convinced the job was a deadly trap. Fearing for Lu Xiaochu, she agreed to complete the task in exchange for her friend's safety.

• Lu Xiaofang asked the mysterious contact what they wanted, and Song Xiaozhu hinted that she knew Lu Xiaofang’s neighborhood bakery.
• Song Xiaozhu instructed Lu Xiaofang to bring a shipment from Liu Family Village to the Holy City and wait for further arrangements.
• Lu Xiaofang imagined that Liu Family Village had been protected by an upper-city power and that she had been drawn into a scheme as disposable cargo transport.
• Lu Xiaofang considered fleeing but feared the contact would harm her and Lu Xiaochu, who was coughing nearby.
• Lu Xiaofang promised to carry out the task and asked Song Xiaozhu to let Lu Xiaochu go afterward.

Song Xiaozhu reassured Lu Xiaofang that she wanted her to complete the delivery, then planned how to meet the village quest’s trade and construction requirements before invaders arrived. She prepared a shipment of skinning knives and began making traps for the warehouse, with the defense work still ahead.

• Song Xiaozhu sent Lu Xiaofang the ambiguous instruction, “Get the job done,” and Lu Xiaofang decided to transport the shipment to prove her worth and protect Xiaochu.
• Song Xiaozhu greeted Xiao He warmly and resolved to complete the growth quest, asking whether failure would harm Xiao He and promising not to let anything impede her growth.
• Song Xiaozhu planned to sell 500 professional skinning knives to the Holy City for five copper coins each, keeping the shipment within Lu Xiaofang’s likely transport capacity.
• Song Xiaozhu reviewed the quest’s remaining requirements, thanked the people whose purchases had earned her Quantum Coins, and synthesized 300 beast traps, using half her Energy Stone Fragments.

Song Xiaozhu created three Level 1 Warehouses and introduced the first one to the shop staff, explaining its security and usage restrictions. She set up employee permissions for the warehouse and considered how its authorization costs might grow as her business expanded.

• Song Xiaozhu spent Quantum Coins to raise the warehouse synthesis success rate to 99% and successfully made a Level 1 Warehouse.
• She made two more warehouses and placed one behind the shop counter for the staff to inspect.
• Song Xiaozhu explained that the warehouse could only be used in the shop and that unauthorized access was dangerous.
• Luo Liuzi told Old Chen's family that Song Xiaozhu had authorized him to use his employee backpack to make materials.
• Song Xiaozhu loaded crude oil into Tian Man's backpack and configured warehouse permissions, including a daily limit for Chen Quanquan.

Song Xiaozhu tested the new warehouse with the villagers and coordinated new shops, construction, and defenses with Xiao Yunjie. She revealed that she had repaired her personal terminal and made a simplified communicator that could eventually help patrol teams travel farther.

• Song Xiaozhu assigned permissions so Old Chen's family could retrieve authorized goods from the warehouse, and Old Chen cautiously took out a steel saber.
• Song Xiaozhu had Tian Man and Luo Liuzi test the warehouse with their Employee Backpacks, and they transferred raw wood between them.
• Song Xiaozhu discussed new shops, warehouse locations, construction, and defenses with Xiao Yunjie.
• Xiao Yunjie asked whether the village would be in danger, and Song Xiaozhu explained that she had unlocked and studied her personal terminal.
• Song Xiaozhu showed Xiao Yunjie a simplified communicator she had synthesized, explaining that patrol teams could use it to venture farther once conditions allowed.

Song Xiaozhu gave Xiao Yunjie a communicator and weapons, and asked her to help coordinate construction and management across Test Site No. 49. Meanwhile, Lu Xiaofang prepared to travel to Liu Family Village, keeping her plans secret from Lu Xiaochu.

• Song Xiaozhu gave Xiao Yunjie a dedicated-line communicator and explained how it could help scattered settlements coordinate and support Liu Family Village’s growth.
• Song Xiaozhu asked Xiao Yunjie to help manage the community and handed her gunpowder and hand grenades to test safely.
• Xiao Yunjie accepted the responsibility and secretly showered Song Xiaozhu with leadership value.
• Lu Xiaofang hid her fear after a sleepless night, cooked breakfast for Lu Xiaochu, and watched her leave for the Gathering Association.
• Lu Xiaofang took fifty silver coins and prepared a radiation-protection suit and a rented Peddler’s Box for her journey to Test Site 49.
• Lu Xiaofang messaged Blank that she was setting out, but received no reply.

Lu Xiaofang arrived at Liu Family Village to collect the goods she had rented a merchant’s case to transport, but a gunpowder test terrified her before she reached the guards. After the successful test, Xiao Yunjie welcomed Lu Xiaofang as Song Xiaozhu’s guest and arranged for her to eat before collecting the goods.

• Lu Xiaofang bought a cheap radiation suit and headed for Test Site 49, determined to return alive with the merchant’s case and protect her home with Xiaochu.
• Xiao Yunjie’s gunpowder test succeeded, though fragments caused minor injuries among the Hunters, and Song Xiaozhu gained Leadership Value from their admiration.
• Xiao Tong spotted Lu Xiaofang and recognized her as the woman he knew as Leina, but Xiao Yunjie told him not to act rashly because she was Song Xiaozhu’s guest.
• Xiao Yunjie contacted Song Xiaozhu about Lu Xiaofang’s arrival and escorted her inside without taking her to meet Song Xiaozhu.
• Xiao Yunjie told Lu Xiaofang that her goods were ready but that she could collect them after lunch, and Lu Xiaofang nervously sat down to eat.

Lu Xiaofang nervously ate the meal prepared for her, then saved most of the meat to take to her twin sister Xiaochu. After collecting the goods she was meant to transport, she found the warehouse filled with ordinary skinning knives instead of high-grade dangerous items.

• Xiao Yunjie served Lu Xiaofang a meal and told her to collect the goods after eating.
• Lu Xiaofang discovered that the porridge, meat, and water were unusually delicious and seemed purified.
• Lu Xiaofang asked to take the leftover meat to Xiaochu, then wrapped it and put it in her Peddler's Box when no one answered.
• Lu Xiaofang went to the warehouse and found piles of ordinary skinning knives where she expected high-grade dangerous items.

Lu Xiaofang delivered 500 skinning knives into the city, believing they concealed a mysterious shipment, while Song Xiaozhu discovered that Primordial Water could restore Force and grant employees temporary classes. The chapter ended with Lu Xiaofang learning she was supposed to sell the knives on the exchange for five copper coins each.

• Xiao Yunjie gave Lu Xiaofang 500 skinning knives to carry into the city, and Lu Xiaofang promised to deliver them safely.
• Song Xiaozhu upgraded several recipes and successfully made Primordial Water, which restored Force when consumed.
• Xiao He explained that employees who drank Primordial Water could temporarily receive classes from Song Xiaozhu’s unlocked achievements.
• Lu Xiaofang passed through city security with the knives and asked the mysterious contact who should receive them.
• The contact told Lu Xiaofang to sell the knives on the exchange for five copper coins each, surprising her.

Lu Xiaofang mistakenly believed the skinning knives carried a deadly contaminant and wrestled with whether selling them would doom Tianfu Holy City. After she refused to sell them rather than endanger others, Song Xiaozhu reassured her that the knives were ordinary, though Lu Xiaofang still doubted the explanation.

• Lu Xiaofang concluded that the cheap skinning knives concealed a contaminant intended to spread through Tianfu Holy City.
• Afraid of harming the people she knew, Lu Xiaofang refused to sell the knives and told the mysterious big shot she could not kill so many people to save herself.
• Lu Xiaofang messaged Lu Xiaochu that she had been right, while Song Xiaozhu realized Lu Xiaofang had acted from a sense of principle.
• Song Xiaozhu explained to Xiao He that Lu Xiaofang had suspected the knives contained a hazardous substance, and decided she might pursue a long-term partnership with her.
• Song Xiaozhu told Lu Xiaofang the knives were ordinary, but Lu Xiaofang remained incredulous.

Song Xiaozhu checked Lu Xiaofang’s recent activities to ensure she would test the skinning knives, while Lu Xiaofang decided to have her younger sister try them. The footage revealed Lu Xiaofang’s journey to Liu Family Village and showed Song Xiaozhu more about the city’s tools and scarce resources.

• Lu Xiaofang interpreted Song Xiaozhu’s messages as a warning and decided to let Lu Xiaochu test the skinning knives because she was a Gatherer.
• Song Xiaozhu asked Xiao He to raise the cost of repeatedly checking the same friend’s activities so the ability would restrain her from overuse.
• Xiao He agreed, and Song Xiaozhu reminded her that she wanted to remain human and told her not to change other prices.
• Song Xiaozhu watched Lu Xiaofang leave home, rent a protective suit and Peddler’s Box, and travel to Test Site No. 49.
• Lu Xiaofang arrived at Liu Family Village during Xiao Yunjie and the others’ gunpowder tests, then asked whether she could take meat home for her older sister.
• Song Xiaozhu learned that the lower city had Peddler’s Boxes and that clean water and fresh meat were scarce.

Lu Xiaofang reassured Lu Xiaochu that she had gone to a Testing Ground to help sell its goods, then showed her a skinning knife made there. Lu Xiaochu recognized its unusual quality and usefulness, while Song Xiaozhu considered trading with the Testing Grounds and helping their ordinary residents.

• Lu Xiaofang waited for Lu Xiaochu to return home and tried to reassure her after she had worked late.
• Lu Xiaofang admitted she had left the city to help a village in a Testing Ground transport goods and find buyers.
• Song Xiaozhu considered trading with the Testing Grounds and saw an opportunity to help their residents and gain Leadership Value.
• Lu Xiaofang showed Lu Xiaochu a skinning knife made by a village Craftsman and asked her to assess it.
• Lu Xiaochu found that the knife required little Force and was especially effective for ordinary people and low-level Gatherers.