Chapter Summaries

Han Xiao encountered an Overmela squad near Frost Pine Town and learned they were hunting Inhumans. After he sent them back with a warning that he would visit Overmela, the family’s leaders debated how to respond.

• Han Xiao traveled across the North Continent, upgrading equipment and heading toward Frost Pine Town while considering a distant ice field for high-level monsters.
• An Overmela squad led by Keaton prepared to capture Inhumans in Frost Pine Town and mistook Han Xiao for a possible target.
• Keaton recognized Han Xiao as Black Phantom, canceled the mission, and tried to flee with his squad.
• Han Xiao appeared behind the squad, forced Keaton to reveal their identity and orders, then told them to inform their leaders that he would visit Overmela.
• Delo vowed to meet Han Xiao and demand an explanation for killing Overmela’s people, while Saqi and Xiao Jin urged caution.

Han Xiao traveled to the Ofmera Family headquarters to learn more about his original identity, despite expecting a hostile reception. After Wumile escorted him through the guarded settlement, Han Xiao entered the leaders’ hall while a group of Bamboo Rain players waited outside, hoping the encounter would lead to a mission.

• Han Xiao left Frost Pine Town and headed for the Ofmera Family headquarters, aware that the powerful organization might regard him as an enemy.
• At a guarded mountain checkpoint, Wumile greeted Han Xiao and escorted him toward the settlement after the leaders agreed to receive him.
• During the climb, Han Xiao unsettled Wumile and the soldiers by joking that he had come to cause trouble and asking Wumile which faction he belonged to.
• At the settlement gate, Han Xiao noticed players among the crowd and entered the hall where the leaders were waiting.
• The Bamboo Rain guild members recognized Han Xiao, speculated that his arrival might trigger a hidden mission, and stayed outside the hall.

Han Xiao confronted Overmela’s leaders over their suspected ties to Germinal and learned how Xiao Han disappeared. The meeting ended with Overmela’s factions realizing Han Xiao had turned their attempt to question him into an interrogation.

• Han Xiao entered Overmela’s hall alone and faced its hostile leaders, including Delo and Xiao Jin.
• Delo accused Han Xiao of attacking Green Valley Town, but Han Xiao challenged Overmela over its supposed connection to Germinal.
• Han Xiao pointed out that Xiao Han had belonged to Overmela and questioned whether Germinal had contacted the family about him.
• Delo insisted Overmela had no ties to Germinal and ordered Xiao Jin to explain Xiao Han’s disappearance.
• Xiao Hai said attackers had targeted him, so he had disguised Xiao Han as himself to draw them away, and later found no trace of his younger brother.
• Han Xiao realized Xiao Han’s family had treated him as expendable, while Overmela’s leaders recognized that Han Xiao had put them on the defensive.

Han Xiao met Xiao Jin to learn about Xiao Han and received Xiao Han’s file, while Overmela’s internal factions remained divided. At dawn, Delo was found assassinated, and Han Xiao became the prime suspect in what he recognized as a frame-up.

• Xiao Jin invited Han Xiao to discuss compensation, and Han Xiao learned about Xiao Han from Xiao Jin and his children.
• Xiao Ming gave Han Xiao Xiao Han’s file, which Han Xiao read after disabling the surveillance devices in his room.
• Delo complained that Xiao Jin was expanding his influence and ordered Lagos not to provoke Han Xiao.
• Overmela soldiers escorted Han Xiao to Delo’s residence, where the chief was found shot dead.
• The gathered leaders and soldiers suspected Han Xiao, who recognized that the assassination had been staged to frame him.

Han Xiao was framed for Delo’s assassination and became trapped in a standoff with Overmela’s factions. When a soldier’s shot triggered a battle, Han Xiao fought off Overmela’s guards but chose to spare the executives and insisted he would wait while they investigated.

• Overmela’s executives argued over whether to seize Han Xiao, while Han Xiao realized the real killer was trying to provoke a conflict between Overmela and the Dark Net Organization.
• Han Xiao proposed staying under guard until Overmela uncovered the truth, but an ordinary soldier fired at him and set off a firefight.
• Han Xiao used his Magnetically Controlled Armor and Magnetic Chain Split Blade to fend off the soldiers and four superhuman guards, while the Bamboo Rain Guild recorded the battle.
• Han Xiao defeated the four guards without killing them, and the mansion collapsed during the fight.
• Han Xiao threatened Lagos but recalled his blade, reaffirming that he would wait for the investigation rather than fall into the framer’s trap.

After Delo’s murder, Han Xiao accepted a mission to identify the true culprit while Overmela’s factions investigated and maneuvered for power. Lagos planned to capture Han Xiao, but he also began accusing Xiao Jin of conspiring with him.

• Xiao Jin accepted Han Xiao’s terms, and Han Xiao left after Overmela’s soldiers put away their weapons.
• Han Xiao received the one-chance mission to identify Delo’s killer, while the Bamboo Rain Guild players chose to side with him and offered their help.
• Two unseen conspirators admitted their plot had failed to provoke a direct conflict, but believed destroyed clues would keep Han Xiao suspected.
• Han Xiao reasoned that Delo’s murder might be tied to a power struggle within Overmela and waited for the culprit to reveal themselves.
• Todd challenged Lagos over who should lead the Main Family Faction, and Lagos declared that capturing Han Xiao was the priority.
• Lagos claimed that Xiao Jin might have hired Han Xiao to kill Delo and then staged the appearance of a partnership.

Han Xiao waited while the factions investigated Delo’s assassination, then Lagos accused him of conspiring with Xiao Jin and brought three powerful fighters to capture him. As the fight began, Han Xiao activated a powerful mechanical mode and stopped Lune’s strike.

• Xiao Jin learned that Lagos led the investigation into Delo’s death and concluded that Black Phantom could not be the real culprit.
• Saqi asked a major general to support his bid to become Overmela’s next leader and promised to honor their agreement.
• Han Xiao stayed in his room while the Bamboo Rain Guild gathered intelligence and bought skills from his shop.
• Lagos arrived with Lune, Vanessa, and Hidden Demon, accused Han Xiao of conspiring with Xiao Jin, and ordered him to come along.
• Hidden Demon and the pugilist couple attacked Han Xiao, while Vanessa wiped out the Bamboo Rain Guild members who tried to help.
• Han Xiao fled into the house, and Lune brought it down; when Lune charged the figure emerging from the ruins, Han Xiao activated Power mode and stopped his punch.

Han Xiao revealed the Viper Kai and used its power and his upgraded weapons to defeat Lune, Vanessa, and Hidden Demon. He killed Lagos as well, leaving the Main Family Faction leaders facing him in fear.

• Han Xiao used the Viper Kai and its heavy mechanical arm to overpower Lune and Vanessa, then shot Lune with the Ghost Gauss Sniping Rifle and killed him.
• Vanessa fled, but Han Xiao incapacitated her with miniature Sonic Boom Grenades and killed her with his gauntlet cutters and flamethrower.
• Han Xiao tracked down Hidden Demon, broke his arms and legs, implanted a tracker, and knocked him unconscious.
• The Overmela onlookers and players watched in terror as Lagos realized his fighters had been defeated and Han Xiao approached him.
• Han Xiao cut Lagos's throat despite his threat of retaliation from the Main Family, then asked the faction leaders whether they objected.

Han Xiao helped Xiao Jin investigate Delo’s assassination and uncovered evidence implicating Su Dinghua, a Northern Faction executive secretly working with Raylen. He captured Su Dinghua and his guards, leaving Xiao Jin to confront him about the assassination.

• Todd took charge of the Main Family Faction after Han Xiao killed Lagos and promised not to seek revenge.
• Han Xiao kept Hidden Demon alive as a prisoner so he could claim the Dark Net bounty.
• Xiao Jin told Han Xiao that evidence pointed to Su Dinghua and asked him to help capture Su Dinghua and his followers.
• Han Xiao infiltrated Su Dinghua’s residence, avoided a suspicious hidden safe, and captured Su Dinghua, his assistant, and all eight guards.
• Xiao Jin interrogated the captives, and Su Dinghua realized that his secret dealings with Raylen had been exposed.

Xiao Jin exposed Su Dinghua as the culprit behind Delo’s assassination and cleared Han Xiao, who stayed in Overmela to demand compensation. Xiao Jin recruited Han Xiao into the Xiao Faction to help secure the family leadership, and Han Xiao agreed to become Xiao Hai’s godfather in exchange for a hefty price.

• Xiao Jin presented evidence that Su Dinghua had arranged Delo’s assassination for Raylen, while Su Dinghua’s assistant and the other guards killed themselves with poison.
• Su Dinghua admitted his role, and Han Xiao declined to get involved further after the factions arrived; Su Dinghua later died during interrogation and disclosed Raylen’s plot to provoke conflict between Overmela and the Dark Net.
• Xiao Jin paid Han Xiao compensation and asked for his help in the coming election for Delo’s successor, but Han Xiao demanded triple the initial offer.
• Xiao Jin invited Han Xiao to join the Xiao Faction as a relative by marriage and offered him influence over Overmela; Han Xiao agreed and made Xiao Hai call him Godfather.
• Xiao Jin told Xiao Hai that the faction would need to honor its agreement with Han Xiao even after Xiao Jin became head, because Han Xiao’s strength made him a powerful backer.

At Overmela’s succession meeting, Han Xiao revealed himself as Black Phantom and intervened to secure Xiao Jin’s election as first leader. The other factions accepted the result, while Todd recognized that the Main Family Faction had lost its grip on power.

• Han Xiao entered the council hall in disguise as a senior member of the Xiao Faction while the four candidates prepared to vote.
• Saqi gained an overwhelming lead after Terilous secretly helped him secure votes from senior members.
• Xiao Jin objected to Saqi’s victory, and Han Xiao revealed himself as Black Phantom and declared his support for Xiao Jin.
• Xiao Jin claimed Han Xiao was an elder of the Xiao Faction and his child’s godfather, while the younger members bowed to Han Xiao.
• Intimidated by Han Xiao, senior members changed their votes, and Xiao Jin won the election by an overwhelming margin.
• Han Xiao left the council hall as the factions congratulated Xiao Jin, and Todd realized the Main Family Faction would become subordinate.

Han Xiao pressured Xiao Jin into launching an immediate retaliation against Raylen after suspecting Xiao Jin had knowingly exploited Delo’s assassination to seize power. He then submitted Raylen as the culprit behind the plot to frame him, completed the mission, and received a choice of talents.

• Xiao Jin thanked Han Xiao for helping him become head, and Han Xiao accused him of knowingly allowing Delo’s assassination to advance his own succession bid.
• Han Xiao threatened to take back his support unless Xiao Jin retaliated against Raylen, and Xiao Jin ordered an all-out attack on Raylen’s forces despite Xiao Hai’s objections.
• Han Xiao saw that Xiao Jin’s faction relationship had reached Respect and explained that he had let Xiao Jin use him so he could make Xiao Jin dependent on his support.
• Han Xiao identified Raylen as the mastermind behind the attempt to frame him and completed the mission, earning a choice among three random talents.

Han Xiao left Overmela after resolving its turmoil, then collected a bounty and drew widespread attention after footage of his mech battle spread. He learned that Hao Tian had completed his portion of [New Era--Origin] and sent him the Sully-485 File.

• Han Xiao chose [Call of the Wild] and considered returning to Planet Aquamarine with a cure for the future [Mutation Disaster].
• Han Xiao departed Overmela as its factions showed him respect, while the Bamboo Rain Guild received its quest reward and Bamboo Rain Xuanxuan sold her footage to Galaxy Times.
• Footage of Han Xiao's Viper Kai spread across the Dark Net, prompting factions including Germinal to covet the mech and reconsider how to deal with him.
• Han Xiao turned Hidden Demon in at a Dark Net outpost and collected the bounty reward after proving Hidden Demon's presence.
• Players crowded around Han Xiao after Galaxy Times aired his mech battle, boosting interest in the Mechanic Class and his business prospects.
• Hao Tian told Han Xiao that he had completed [The End of the One Clinging to Life] and sent him the [Sully-485 File].

Han Xiao completed his profitable tour of the North Continent, recruited Hao Tian for a new mission, and brought Bear Cub to the Southern Continent. There, he reunited with Bennett and prepared to join the Sanctuary Plan as the Expeditionary War against Germinal approached.

• Han Xiao obtained the Sully-485 File and sent its fragmentary account of a secret operation to Hannes for more clues.
• Hao Tian completed Old Diwen’s errands, then accepted Han Xiao’s offer to meet him at the Raylen border and travel south.
• Han Xiao acquired the One Shot, One Kill talent, befriended a clingy bear cub, and named her Bear Cub.
• During the flight, Hannes told Han Xiao that Old Diwen’s file had provided a crucial clue for the hidden main storyline.
• Han Xiao arrived on the Southern Continent, reunited with Antonov, and called Bennett to ask about the Sanctuary Plan.
• Bennett invited Han Xiao to meet in person and offered him an important role as preparations for the war against Germinal neared completion.

Han Xiao joined the Dark Net as an executive director and was put in charge of building the Third Sanctuary at the Gray Iron Ruins. He accepted the challenge despite its limited initial resources and insisted the sanctuary bear his name.

• Bennett showed Han Xiao the First Sanctuary under construction and brought him to an executives' meeting.
• Bennett announced that Saina would lead the Second Sanctuary and Han Xiao would lead the Third Sanctuary, silencing objections by citing Han Xiao's strength.
• Bennett explained that the Third Sanctuary would be built at the Gray Iron Ruins, where Han Xiao had his secret base.
• Han Xiao unlocked the Dark Net Organization faction and received the A-class main storyline mission to build the Third Sanctuary.
• Bennett revealed that only about a thousand workers would initially be assigned to Han Xiao, and Han Xiao promised to build a basic sanctuary within a month.
• Han Xiao agreed to lead the project on the condition that the Third Sanctuary be named after him.

Bennett appointed Huang Yu to assist Han Xiao at the understaffed Third Sanctuary, while Han Xiao recruited players to help with the Sanctuary mission. As players advanced and the Six Nations prepared to attack Germinal, Han Xiao’s return to the Southern Continent disappointed Andia’s players, and Meat Bun Hits Dog released a new episode of Galaxy Adventure Diary.

• Bennett assigned the reluctant Huang Yu to serve as Han Xiao’s assistant at the Third Sanctuary.
• Han Xiao welcomed Frenzied Sword and Meat Bun Hits Dog at the First Sanctuary, while Hao Tian tended to the bear cub.
• White Mask reached level twenty-one, revealing that advancement automatically awakened the Energy Refinement Method and prompting players to discuss whether they had wasted money learning it early.
• Han Xiao returned to the Southern Continent instead of visiting Andia, leaving its players disappointed.
• The Six Nations prepared an expedition against Germinal, but most players lacked the level requirements and strength to benefit from joining.
• The major powers learned that Inhumans had limited revivals and began treating them as special mercenaries, while Meat Bun Hits Dog released a new episode of Galaxy Adventure Diary.

Wild Boy watched Meat Bun Hits Dog’s video reveal Han Xiao’s Third Sanctuary mission and a stirring speech about preserving civilization. A day later, Han Xiao led the construction convoy toward the Gray Iron Ruins, while its mission objective warned him to protect the team and keep losses below twenty percent.

• Wild Boy watched Meat Bun’s latest video, which showed Han Xiao introducing the Third Sanctuary mission at Bennett First Sanctuary.
• Meat Bun revealed that Han Xiao would lead over a thousand people to build a city at the Gray Iron Ruins, and viewers reacted with excitement.
• Han Xiao delivered a speech about building sanctuaries to preserve civilization, impressing the workers, council members, and players watching the video.
• Han Xiao privately reflected that he had borrowed the speech from Bennett’s future words to shape the players’ view of him, while Bennett felt he had found a kindred spirit.
• The next day, Han Xiao led a convoy of 1,034 people toward the Gray Iron Ruins, and his mission interface set a goal of keeping losses below twenty percent.
• Han Xiao assessed the convoy’s limited armed escort and decided he needed to strengthen the team.

Han Xiao led the convoy toward the Gray Iron Ruins, arranged a supply airdrop, and built a force of combat machines along the way. When a swarm of Desert Blood Shell Pincers attacked the camp, his machines stopped and slaughtered them before the soldiers could engage.

• Han Xiao told Kony Fury he planned to complete the Gray Iron Ruins construction in one month despite the shortage of workers.
• Han Xiao arranged a Farrian airdrop of mechanical parts, then spent two days manufacturing machinery in the engineering vehicle.
• A swarm of at least ten thousand Desert Blood Shell Pincers attacked the convoy at a Barbara Tree, and Huang Yu urged everyone to flee.
• Han Xiao ordered the soldiers to hold their positions and deployed twelve Combat-Type Rangers and twenty Foldable Mini Turrets.
• The Rangers and turrets opened fire, while several Rangers used Sunworm Flamethrowers to destroy the swarm before it reached the camp.

Han Xiao’s convoy reached the Gray Iron Ruins safely after he and his machines overcame the wilderness threats. He began recruiting nearby settlements to build the Third Sanctuary, and the construction mission started with a three-month deadline.

• Han Xiao’s machines slaughtered a massive scorpion swarm, earning experience while the convoy escaped unharmed.
• Hao Tian, Frenzied Saber, and Meat Bun Hits Dog gained rewards and footage while traveling with Han Xiao’s group.
• Han Xiao fed a captured wanderer and asked him to tell his settlement that the group would build a Sanctuary and offer work.
• Han Xiao ordered Liu Chao to recruit people from nearby settlements, reassuring him that the Generation 2.5 Rangers could defend the camp.
• Han Xiao’s convoy arrived at the Gray Iron Ruins with 1,034 people and no losses, completing its travel objective.
• Han Xiao received a three-month deadline to complete thirteen Sanctuary construction requirements, with extra rewards for finishing early.

Han Xiao reached the Gray Iron Ruins with the Dark Net convoy and found thousands of Inhumans ready to help build the Sanctuary. As players settled in and began gathering outside the camp for missions, Maple Moon arrived at level twenty, eager to meet Black Phantom.

• Han Xiao met the gathered Inhumans, who cleared the road after he promised construction work would be available once the group settled in.
• At Han Xiao's direction, Kony Fury asked the players to clear a safe camping area, and they quickly transformed a stadium into a defensible camp.
• The players filled the ruins with activity, while Azure Sky and Sky Domain's core members greeted Hao Tian and Meat Bun Hits Dog was chased by his fans.
• Frenzied Sword agonized over choosing a class path and finally decided to flip a coin.
• Maple Moon reached level twenty, passed through the players' market, and waited outside the camp with nervous anticipation.