Chapter Summaries

Song Xiaozhu used the Workbench to view Ci Yu and Ning Yao, discovering that the despairing Ning Yao was trying to stop the mad Ci Yu from pursuing No. 199 and Fan Cang. Ci Yu remained convinced that killing them would let him become the Creator and secure freedom for himself and Ning Yao.

• Song Xiaozhu identified Ning Yao as Ci Yu’s teammate and spent 100 Quantum Coins to view their personal-terminal cameras up close.
• Song Xiaozhu saw that Ci Yu had a severe burn scar and that Ning Yao’s hands were skeletal, while red threads surrounded Ci Yu and black energy shrouded Ning Yao.
• Ning Yao urged Ci Yu to leave, warning that Fan Cang had lured him into a trap and would kill him if they exposed themselves.
• Ci Yu insisted that he would kill No. 199, Fan Cang, and the other God-Favored, reach level five, and inherit the Han-Tang Group as the Creator.
• Ning Yao slapped Ci Yu and begged him to stop fighting, saying No. 199 had never killed anyone and warning that they would die if he attacked the village.

Song Xiaozhu watched Ci Yu confront Ning Yao over his pursuit of the Heart of the Creator and his plan to kill No. 199. Ci Yu strangled Ning Yao as memories revealed that they had died in the beast tide beyond Dharma City's isolation barrier.

• Ci Yu rejected Ning Yao's plea to stop fighting and blamed her for leading him out of the temple into a false promise of freedom.
• Ning Yao begged Ci Yu not to kill No. 199, while he insisted he needed the Heart of the Creator and pleaded for her help.
• Song Xiaozhu realized Ci Yu's condition seemed connected to the Heart of the Creator and warned nearby patrols to clear villagers away.
• Ci Yu seized Ning Yao by the throat and lifted her, intent on killing her.
• Ning Yao remembered that the beast tide had swallowed the village and that she and Ci Yu had died the night everyone perished.

Ning Yao sacrificed herself to stop Ci Yu, severing his connection to the Heart of the Creator and leaving both of them dead. Song Xiaozhu collected their stones as a battle erupted between Liu Family Village’s Hunters and the Three Kills Gang, whose level-four berserker Chang Ba led the gang’s charge.

• Ning Yao used her dark elementalist ability to bind Ci Yu and feed the hatred of the wrongly killed into him, then died with him.
• Song Xiaozhu and Xiao He recognized that Ci Yu was still human, though the Heart of the Creator had magnified his evil side.
• Song Xiaozhu left the command room, prepared with armor and weapons, and went to retrieve Ning Yao’s Awakening Stone and the Heart of the Creator.
• Song Xiaozhu reached the surface and discovered that the Hunters of Liu Family Village were fighting the Three Kills Gang at the village entrance.
• Chang Ba displayed his level-four berserker strength, hurled Hunters aside, and rallied the Three Kills Gang to attack.

Song Xiaozhu left the fighting to Xiao Yunjie and Liu Xuangang while she went to retrieve the Heart of the Creator. At the mine tunnel, she found Ning Yao’s Awakening Stone and synthesized it into a card that granted one of Ning Yao’s former abilities at the cost of accumulating karma.

• Song Xiaozhu asked Xiao He to disable the casualty alerts so she would not distract Xiao Yunjie and Liu Xuangang during the battle.
• Song Xiaozhu reached the western mine tunnel, where the Heart of the Creator and Awakening Stone lay beside two intertwined skeletons.
• Song Xiaozhu picked up Ning Yao’s Awakening Stone and used Random Synthesis on it.
• Xiao He produced a card called “Ning Yao’s Repentance,” which granted a random ability Ning Yao had possessed while alive and warned that using it would accumulate karma.
• Song Xiaozhu read the card’s listed skill, Dark Element Erosion, a level-three ability that manipulated Force to inflict powerful erosion.

Song Xiaozhu gained Ning Yao’s Dark Element Erosion skill and learned that Ning Yao wished for Testing Ground No. 9 to be rebuilt and its survivors provided for. After collecting Ci Yu’s Heart of the Creator, she discovered that Rough Stone Fragments could be exchanged for enormous amounts of Quantum Coins, leaving her to worry about the danger of leveling up as God-Favored hunted her.

• Xiao He unlocked the Dark Element Erosion Skill Card for Song Xiaozhu, warning that it carried Ning Yao’s Karma and would backlash if her wish went unfulfilled.
• Song Xiaozhu tested the skill and saw it corrode a large hole through a wall; the card revealed Ning Yao’s wish to rebuild Testing Ground No. 9 and provide for its survivors.
• Song Xiaozhu picked up Ci Yu’s Heart of the Creator, was overwhelmed by its negative emotions, and placed it on the Workbench, where it shattered into five pieces and left two behind.
• Song Xiaozhu inferred that Ci Yu had killed at least four God-Favored for their Creator Fragments and worried that leveling up could leave her vulnerable to an attack by God-Favored and Fan Cang.
• Xiao He triggered a repeatable Growth Quest offering 10,000 Quantum Coins for each Rough Stone Fragment, and Song Xiaozhu realized this reward explained why God-Favored risked their lives to obtain the Hearts of the Creator.

After receiving 20,000 Quantum Coins for a Heart of the Creator, Song Xiaozhu recognized the greed the reward stirred in her and refused to join the God-Favored slaughter for power. She learned that stopping Xiao He’s repairs would not hurt her, then discovered four more God-Favored had infiltrated Liu Family Village.

• Song Xiaozhu received 20,000 Quantum Coins and was shocked by the fortune, then imagined killing God-Favored to collect their Hearts of the Creator.
• Xiao He brought Song Xiaozhu back to her senses, and she recalled Fan Cang’s words about sacrifice and the God-Favored’s temptation to become the world’s savior.
• Song Xiaozhu asked whether stopping repairs would harm Xiao He, who explained she would remain as she was and would not suffer.
• Song Xiaozhu decided not to pursue upgrades beyond level four or join the God-Favored struggle, despite admitting that she wanted the wealth and power.
• The Base Manager alerted Song Xiaozhu that four more God-Favored had infiltrated the village, and she checked the details for Feng Qing'er and Chu Tanyu.

Song Xiaozhu rejected the God-Favored struggle and joined the defense against the Three Kills Gang. She organized a young archer squad with Quantum Arrows and positioned them to support the village’s fighters.

• Song Xiaozhu used Xiao He’s influence to clear her mind and resolved to expose whoever was manipulating the conflict.
• She left the command room and headed for the front line, where reports showed hundreds of Hunters wounded or near death.
• Song Xiaozhu ordered Xiao Yunjie to assign her an archer squad, then entrusted its leader, Yu Luo, with a special mission.
• Song Xiaozhu gave the ten young archers Quantum Arrow ammunition and communicators, divided them into five teams, and assigned their firing positions.
• Song Xiaozhu told Xiao Yunjie and Liu Xuangang to attack once the special arrowheads struck.

Song Xiaozhu’s Quantum Arrows paralyzed the Three Kills Gang, allowing Liu Xuangang and the Hunters to kill Chang Ba and rout the invaders. As the gang tried to flee, the Hunters pursued them while Song Xiaozhu’s Slaughter Value soared.

• Chang Ba rallied the Three Kills Gang to attack Liu Family Village and seize its Awakening Stones.
• Song Xiaozhu’s arrows paralyzed dozens of the gang’s Warriors, including Chang Ba, and prevented them from using their Force.
• Liu Xuangang tore open Chang Ba’s abdomen while the Hunters killed the immobilized invaders and removed their Awakening Stones.
• Song Xiaozhu’s Slaughter Value rose from 10 to 10,000 as the Three Kills Gang’s deaths registered.
• The frightened Three Kills Gang began to retreat, and Liu Xuangang led the Hunters in pursuit.

After defending Liu Family Village, Song Xiaozhu refused to turn her 1.5 million Slaughter Value into Quantum Coins and asked Xiao He to erase the exchange function. With the battle over but danger still near, she learned that Fan Cang had entered the village and was assessed as calm.

• Song Xiaozhu rejected Xiao He's offer to exchange her Slaughter Value for Quantum Coins and explained that using it could make her justify ever greater acts of violence.
• Xiao He erased the Slaughter Value exchange function after Song Xiaozhu confirmed her decision.
• Song Xiaozhu asked Xiao He to erase the repeatable Rough Stone Fragment exchange quest, but Xiao He refused.
• Song Xiaozhu and the villagers dealt with the battle's aftermath while four hours remained until dawn.
• The Base Manager warned Song Xiaozhu that an outsider had entered the village, and she confirmed that the outsider was Fan Cang, whose status Xiao He assessed as calm.

Song Xiaozhu watched Fan Cang approach while upgrading the Synthesizer to level 4, hoping to find a way to protect Liu Family Village from the coming fight. She examined the new formula system and agreed to unlock a formula for 500 Quantum Coins, leaving Fan Cang still on his way to her.

• Song Xiaozhu worried that Fan Cang and the four God-Favored would destroy Liu Family Village if they fought there.
• Song Xiaozhu fed Xiao He and spent 500 Quantum Coins to upgrade the Synthesizer to level 4.
• Song Xiaozhu saw that Fan Cang was walking toward her shop while the four God-Favored waited in different directions.
• Song Xiaozhu found the new formula categories and learned that level 4 formulas cost between 200 and 2,000 Quantum Coins to unlock.
• Song Xiaozhu offered to earn more Quantum Coins through Leadership Value, and Xiao He asked to unlock a formula for 500 Quantum Coins.

Song Xiaozhu unlocked the Synthesizer’s level-four recipes and discovered that Energy Fragments could be made using Leadership Value, while the other recipes offered powerful weapons and infrastructure. Her thoughts about Li Shihai, Li Shijian, and Fan Cang’s past unsettled her, but she chose leadership over trade or slaughter as her path.

• Song Xiaozhu spent 6,000 Quantum Coins to unlock all 14 recipes and found that Energy Fragments could be synthesized with Leadership Value and Quantum Coins.
• Song Xiaozhu realized the Synthesizer’s required value depended on which of Leadership Value, Transaction Value, or Slaughter Value was highest, and wondered whether Li Shihai had once followed the trade route.
• Song Xiaozhu’s memories became tangled with Li Siyuan’s as she recalled Li Shijian and Fan Cang’s claim that his family and childhood had been fake.
• Song Xiaozhu noticed Fan Cang approaching the shop on the base mini map, then reviewed recipes for energy stones, defenses, weapons, and vehicles.
• Song Xiaozhu rejected the temptation of trade and slaughter, deciding that she would follow leadership and rely on everyone.

Fan Cang threatened Liu Family Village and demanded that Song Xiaozhu meet him, while she prepared defenses and arranged for Xiao Yunjie to recruit four other God-Favored against him. As the ten-minute deadline approached, Song Xiaozhu armed herself and went to face Fan Cang.

• Fan Cang seized Liu Xuangang outside the Golden Temple and threatened to kill Chen Quanquan if Song Xiaozhu did not come upstairs within ten minutes.
• Song Xiaozhu ordered Liu Xuangang to assist Madam and told Xiao Yunjie to contact four hidden God-Favored and persuade them to join forces against Fan Cang.
• Song Xiaozhu synthesized batches of chips from the village’s resources, including Light Energy, Communications, Guidance, Transport, and Firearm Chips.
• Song Xiaozhu used ten Firearm Chips to make an energy gun and put on Quantum Armor that could prevent one fatal injury.
• As the deadline neared, Song Xiaozhu stood outside the shop, knowing Fan Cang was waiting upstairs.

Song Xiaozhu stalled Fan Cang as he revealed that the testing grounds were staged worlds created by Li Shihai to hatch a Creator. Fan Cang suspected Song Xiaozhu was God-Favored and had accumulated immense Slaughter Value, but she continued to deny it.

• Song Xiaozhu met Fan Cang and explained that she protected Liu Family Village because she had made it her new home.
• Fan Cang compared the testing grounds to The Truman Show and said Li Shihai had created them to hatch a true Creator.
• Fan Cang revealed that every God-Favored had a father or master played by Li Shihai, while Song Xiaozhu alone shared his surname.
• Song Xiaozhu questioned why Fan Cang was waiting to kill her, and he called her precious bait for luring the others.
• Fan Cang briefly grabbed Song Xiaozhu by the neck, then argued that killing the Three Kills Gang had likely raised her Slaughter Value above a million.
• Fan Cang asked what Song Xiaozhu could make as a Craftsman, but she again insisted that she had no Slaughter Value.

Song Xiaozhu confronted Fan Cang over the deaths caused by the beast tides, while he insisted that their sacrifices served his pursuit of truth. Though Fan Cang vastly outmatched her, Song Xiaozhu stood by her choice of peace and revealed that reinforcements were approaching.

• Fan Cang said he had promised Mu Qing not to kill Song Xiaozhu before the rankings were announced, and admitted he wanted truth after living a lie for twenty years.
• Song Xiaozhu condemned Fan Cang for calling the suffering and deaths at Liu Family Village, Deer Town, and the Scavenger Community fake.
• Fan Cang admitted that he had broken the isolation barrier and caused the deaths of 12,356 people, defending the slaughter as a necessary sacrifice.
• Song Xiaozhu punched Fan Cang, who revealed that he had suppressed his body's instinctive defense to keep from killing her.
• Song Xiaozhu told Xiao He that she did not regret choosing peace and pointed out that survival depended on strategy as well as strength.
• Fan Cang noticed four red dots converging on the shop and asked whether Song Xiaozhu had lured them there.

Song Xiaozhu kept watch as Fan Cang fought four God-Favored inside his domain, while she treated Xiao Yunjie and prepared Liu Family Village for the battle’s aftermath. The fight remained underway as the village quietly mass-produced weapons and supplies.

• Fan Cang sent Song Xiaozhu outside the shop, then established a domain around it as Feng Qing’er, Chu Tanyu, Matsuyama Ichi, and Xi Yun joined him in battle.
• Song Xiaozhu learned that Xiao Yunjie had lost her left arm after Feng Qing’er ate it, and gave her advanced medicine.
• Song Xiaozhu refused to leave Liu Family Village because she believed her presence would remind Fan Cang to keep his promise and protect the villagers from the fight.
• Song Xiaozhu watched the battle to learn the fighters’ abilities while Tian Man and Luo Liuzi gathered raw materials and the Workbench mass-produced supplies and weapons.
• Feng Qing’er, Chu Tanyu, Matsuyama Ichi, and Xi Yun attacked Fan Cang, but he maintained his domain and maneuvered among them without showing signs of weakening.

As Fan Cang fought the God-Favored in the village, Song Xiaozhu realized he had lured them into a trap, while Qiu Shuyu reached the Holy City carrying Bai Jing’s Bodily Transmission Awakening Stone. The city’s resemblance to Ink City triggered Qiu Shuyu’s memories of her childhood in a laboratory, leaving her reliving the brutal test that taught her to kill.

• Song Xiaozhu recognized that Fan Cang had baited the God-Favored into attacking and watched as he killed Xi Yun, whose Heart of the Creator fell to the others.
• Feng Qing'er, Chu Tanyu, and Matsuyama Ichi devoured the Heart of the Creator, and Fan Cang raised his sword to attack them.
• Qiu Shuyu arrived at the Holy City and froze when its walls and gate reminded her of Ink City.
• Qiu Shuyu pushed herself toward the entrance, carrying Bai Jing’s Bodily Transmission Awakening Stone so she could reach Wen Changye for the village’s sake.
• Qiu Shuyu remembered growing up in Ink City’s lower district, being taken to a silent laboratory, and being forced to fight giant rats with a knife.

Qiu Shuyu remembered being forced to kill thousands of people in Ink City before Bai Jing rescued her, and she swore never to return or kill again. Back in the present, she collided with Mu Qing while trying to find Wen Changye and confronted him for selling Xiaozhu out.

• Qiu Shuyu realized the rats she had killed in the white room were people, and a boy stabbed her in the heart.
• Although she remained conscious after being discarded as dead, Bai Jing found and healed Qiu Shuyu, giving her a name.
• Qiu Shuyu swore never to return to Ink City or kill again, then remembered that Master Bai, Xiaozhu, and the villagers were waiting for her.
• Qiu Shuyu rushed toward the city gate to find Wen Changye and collided with Mu Qing, who assumed Fan Cang had not killed Xiaozhu.
• Qiu Shuyu accused Mu Qing of selling Xiaozhu out.

Fan Cang killed four top-ranked God-Favored who had been consumed by their desire for the Creator Fragments, then offered to split the fragments with Song Xiaozhu. Song Xiaozhu began testing how the fragments and the Slaughter Value ranking worked, and the chapter ended with her enduring a painful reaction while holding the stones.

• Mu Qing told Qiu Shuyu that Fan Cang had used a stolen Soul Search Technique to force him to reveal information.
• Fan Cang killed Feng Qing'er, Chu Tanyu, and Matsuyama Ichi after they became consumed by their desire for the Creator Fragments; Xi Yun was also among the dead God-Favored.
• Fan Cang offered to divide the fifty-six Creator Fragments evenly with Song Xiaozhu, and told her he was level five and would reclaim his share after daybreak.
• Song Xiaozhu considered how erasing her Slaughter Value might affect the ranking and test Fan Cang's convictions.
• Song Xiaozhu picked up the Creator Fragments and felt a violent surge of desire, but the black force could not find a Heart of the Creator in her and finally fled her body.

Song Xiaozhu absorbed the negative emotions in the Heart of the Creator fragments while questioning Fan Cang’s beliefs and his ambition to become a god. Fan Cang reclaimed the fragments and warned her that she had two hours until daybreak, when he would act.

• Song Xiaozhu placed the fragments on the Workbench and digested their negative emotions, realizing they came from the hosts rather than the Hearts of the Creator themselves.
• Song Xiaozhu asked Fan Cang what happened if someone who was not God-Favored took a fragment, and he urged her to reveal her Slaughter Value instead of hiding it.
• Song Xiaozhu challenged Fan Cang’s demand that others trust him and questioned whether he was still human after he declared his intention to erase falsehood and reshape the world.
• Song Xiaozhu remembered a conversation with Li Shijian about the world beyond the Clouds, but the memory ended when she felt a chill.
• Fan Cang picked up the twenty-eight fragments and told Song Xiaozhu to use her remaining two hours before daybreak.

Song Xiaozhu synthesized equipment while Fan Cang speculated that she was Li Siyuan, the missing heiress of Han-Tang. As dawn approached, Fan Cang remained intent on taking her Heart of the Creator, while Song Xiaozhu and nearly three thousand villagers celebrated their victory and worked together.

• Song Xiaozhu began synthesizing weapons and vehicles as Fan Cang watched and questioned her about her abilities.
• Fan Cang guessed Song Xiaozhu might be Li Siyuan, and she considered why she wanted no part in Shen Qi's plans for New Han-Tang.
• Song Xiaozhu challenged Fan Cang to honor his promise to Boss Mu, but he refused.
• Fan Cang said dawn's God-Favored rankings would reveal whether No. 199 was Song Xiaozhu or Li Siyuan.
• Song Xiaozhu and people from Liu Family Village, Deer Town, the community, and Mu Qing's logging crew sorted the Three Kills Gang's spoils and shared a Grand Banquet.