Recaps

Xiahou recounted how he signed up to test a Soonami virtual reality game pod and chose the Marvel Universe after it was installed. As he began the link, a tabby cat entered his bedroom and noticed an unfinished drink beside the pod.

• Xiahou explained that he had been living in the Marvel Universe for two and a half years and working as a bounty hunter and mercenary.
• He recalled seeing a Soonami advertisement for a virtual reality game pod, applying to test it, and receiving approval.
• Two Soonami workmen delivered and installed the pod, then left after Xiahou signed the delivery receipt and liability waiver.
• Xiahou climbed into the pod and selected the Marvel Universe from the available game worlds.
• The pod completed its link and Xiahou lost consciousness as a tabby cat entered the room and turned its attention to the uncapped drink bottle.

A power-strip accident sent Xiahou into a realistic game world, where he discovered his bizarre stats and tested its limits. While he wandered into the street in his underwear with a bleeding wound, a fire engulfed his bedroom and left him motionless in the gaming pod.

• The tabby knocked a drink bottle onto Xiahou’s power strip, triggering a power failure and sparks while Xiahou remained inside the gaming pod.
• Xiahou awoke in a shabby alley, found a game interface, and saw that his name was Xiahou D Diaomao, his stats were below average, and he had no quests or abilities.
• Xiahou tested the game’s realism by vomiting, urinating through his underwear, and stabbing himself with a chipped knife; he lowered the pain setting to its minimum.
• Xiahou left the alley in his boxer briefs with the knife in his leg, and nearby pedestrians avoided him as he wondered why the NPCs seemed intelligent.
• Thick smoke and flames filled Xiahou’s bedroom as residents called the fire department, while Xiahou remained motionless in the gaming pod and the tabby fled to the living room.

Xiahou explored the game world, was shot and killed, then respawned in an alley and discovered he could not find a way to log out. He ended the chapter panicking and wondering if he was trapped inside the game.

• The Xiahou inside the burning game pod died in the fire while another Xiahou wandered the streets in the game.
• Xiahou, wearing only boxer briefs, grabbed a passerby for directions, punched him, and was shot after the man drew a handgun.
• Xiahou died from his wounds and respawned in a shabby alley wearing starter clothes, but found that his old items had not returned.
• Xiahou searched for a quest or useful equipment, then decided to log out and feed his cat and get something to eat.
• Xiahou searched the game panel and called for the system and customer service, but found no exit option and sat against the wall in despair.

Xiahou explored the unfamiliar neighborhood, discovered that the game shop sent purchases to his inventory, and found its powerful items far beyond his budget. When a curious young white man asked how Xiahou made a steamed bun appear, a side quest offering 50 energy points and a random draw appeared, leaving Xiahou staring at the prompt.

• Xiahou reassured himself that the game company would eventually rescue him, then wandered around the neighborhood to explore.
• Xiahou opened the game shop, bought a steamed bun for one energy point, and found it had been sent to his inventory.
• Xiahou browsed the shop's increasingly expensive weapons and equipment and realized his 99 remaining energy points could not buy them.
• A young white man asked Xiahou how he had made the bun appear, triggering a side quest that offered 50 energy points and one random draw.

Xiahou completed a task by conjuring a steamed bun, discovered he could not speak English, and received money from a young man who took the bun. He used his first random draw and won Nero’s Red Queen and Blue Rose, then prepared to inspect them before a woman passed by and left.

• Xiahou accepted a task and conjured a steamed bun for a young man, but found he could not speak English.
• The young man took the bun and gave Xiahou 20 dollars without waiting for an answer.
• Xiahou opened the draw interface and spent his available attempt on a random draw.
• The draw awarded Xiahou the Red Queen and Blue Rose, which appeared in his inventory.
• Xiahou read the weapons’ descriptions and was about to take them out when a woman walked past him and left.

Xiahou bound the Red Queen and Blue Rose, but his low strength left him unable to lift the sword and the handgun’s recoil knocked him down after he fired it. He bought a language module to communicate and, with night approaching and nowhere to stay, headed toward a subway station to sleep.

• Xiahou bound his special equipment and discovered that his strength stat of 3 was too low to lift the Red Queen.
• Xiahou summoned the Blue Rose and fired at a paint bucket, destroying it and punching a hole through a wall before fleeing the alley.
• Xiahou worried about how to level up, find lodging, and communicate with people in the city.
• Xiahou bought and used a Basic Language Module for 135 energy points, gaining knowledge of Earth’s mainstream languages in the current world.
• Xiahou searched for a place to sleep, found no suitable spot, and considered sleeping in a subway station.

Xiahou helped Abigail fight off four vampires in a subway station and revealed that he knew her from a movie, including a warning that her father might die. Abigail rushed off to save Whistler, while Xiahou completed his quest.

• Xiahou found a secluded spot in the subway station and went to sleep.
• Xiahou attacked four vampires who had surrounded Abigail and were threatening a baby, and he and Abigail killed them.
• Abigail demanded to know how Xiahou knew her, and he explained that he was a player who had seen her in a movie.
• Xiahou told Abigail that her father, Whistler, might die that night while helping Blade, and Abigail hurried to save him.
• Xiahou received notification that Abigail's Doubts was complete.

After witnessing Blade’s capture and Abigail’s grief, Xiahou struggled to believe the world was only a game, then convinced himself to treat it like one and explored his character upgrades and rewards. The chapter left him outside a factory after he spent a draw on a brief underwater-breathing skill.

• Xiahou and Abigail arrived too late to save the docks, where Blade was captured, and Abigail drove away in silence.
• Xiahou questioned whether the world and its people were real, then resolved to behave like a lawful player and stop trying to become a superhero.
• Xiahou discovered he had reached level 2 and assigned one attribute point to intelligence and four to strength.
• Xiahou drew the Unending Breath skill, learned how to breathe underwater for ten minutes, and found it had a thirty-minute cooldown.
• Abigail stopped the car outside a factory.

Xiahou told Abigail that the Nightcrawler Squad would be wiped out, but refused to explain until someone gave him a quest. After Abigail brought him to the team, Hannibal triggered a quest, and Xiahou began explaining that he knew their story from a movie.

• Abigail brought Xiahou to the Nightcrawler Squad's factory base, where he said the team would be wiped out and only three members would survive.
• Abigail threatened Xiahou and demanded to know how the team died, but he insisted that she give him a quest first.
• Abigail led Xiahou deeper into the factory, where he spotted a little girl keeping watch and then met Hannibal and three other team members.
• Abigail asked the team to give Xiahou a quest so he would reveal when and how the Nightcrawler Squad was wiped out.
• Hannibal asked Xiahou whether he was a player and whether he knew the team's plot, triggering a quest that Xiahou accepted.
• Xiahou said he was a player, believed the team were game characters, and knew their story from watching a movie, though he had forgotten many details.

Xiahou told the Nightcrawler Squad what he remembered about the events of Blade and revealed that he could respawn and summon his Blue Rose handgun. After admitting he was trapped in the game, he accepted Abigail's invitation to join the squad, and a notification appeared in his field of vision.

• Xiahou recounted the vampires' attack, the deaths and captures, and how Abigail and Blade used Daystar to defeat the vampires and rescue Sommerfield's daughter.
• Hannibal asked how Xiahou had claimed his mission reward, and Xiahou explained that he had completed it already and had no main quest.
• Xiahou told the squad he had died once, then summoned his Blue Rose handgun and explained its connection to Nero and Kyrie.
• Abigail asked whether Xiahou could leave the game, and he said he was trapped and did not know what to do next.
• Abigail invited Xiahou to join the Nightcrawler Squad, and he accepted; a notification appeared in his field of vision.

Xiahou accepted a quest to rescue Blade and the Nightcrawler Squad, then joined Abigail, Hannibal, and Little Black on the drive to save them. On the way, he used a random draw on spicy tofu strips instead of a combat upgrade, leaving the group to continue toward the rescue with his remaining energy points intact.

• Xiahou bound the residence as his respawn point, then told the others Blade was in danger and needed rescuing.
• Xiahou accepted a quest to ensure Blade and every member of the Nightcrawler Squad survived, and hurried out with Little Black, Abigail, and Hannibal.
• Sommerfield gave Hannibal a suppression serum for Blade, while Hannibal warned the others to stay alert at home.
• During the drive, Xiahou described Deadpool and the multiverse, bewildering Abigail, Hannibal, and Little Black.
• Xiahou spent his random draw on spicy tofu strips, shared them with the others, and explained that he needed his remaining energy points to improve his strength.

Xiahou bought Basic Combat Skills from the game shop and learned combat knowledge, though he discovered he still lacked the practice to handle a gun smoothly. The group reached the FBI building in 2004 and split up to rescue Blade and sabotage the security room.

• Xiahou spent 1,250 energy points on Basic Combat Skills, and the torrent of information left his nose bleeding.
• Abigail, Hannibal, and Little Black checked on Xiahou until he recovered and explained that he had bought an item from the game shop.
• Xiahou tried to show off his new skills by spinning the Blue Rose, but he dropped the revolver and realized he still needed practice.
• Little Black, also called Dex, drove the group to the FBI building, where Xiahou explained that he needed the year to track the Marvel timeline.
• Little Black dropped the group at the underground garage and went to wait outside while Abigail assigned Hannibal to rescue Blade and took Xiahou to hack the security room.

Xiahou and Abigail joined Hannibal in rescuing Blade from the vampires’ interrogation room, and Blade recovered after taking the suppression serum. As the group tried to escape through a battle between vampires and law enforcement, Xiahou stayed behind to cover their retreat and died again, leaving no trace.

• Abigail led Xiahou to the surveillance room, where they knocked out the guards and destroyed the monitoring equipment before heading for Blade.
• Hannibal entered the interrogation room, killed a vampire, and gave Blade the suppression serum; Blade broke free and drove off the remaining attackers as Danica escaped.
• Abigail and Xiahou joined Blade and Hannibal amid the chaos, and Xiahou warned them that vampires and law enforcement were closing in on their only exit.
• At a T-shaped corridor, Xiahou used the Blue Rose to shoot vampires while Blade escaped through a ventilation duct and Hannibal and Abigail continued toward the exit.
• Xiahou stayed behind to cover Abigail and Hannibal, but LAPD officers shot him; he kept firing until he dissolved into points of light, while Abigail and Hannibal escaped.

Hannibal, Abigail, Blade, and Little Black escaped the FBI building, believing Xiahou had died covering their retreat. Xiahou unexpectedly resurrected at their base and revealed information about the vampire progenitor, leaving the group to plan a safer attack.

• Blade crashed through the FBI building's glass as Hannibal and Abigail fled, and Little Black drove them away from the surrounding police.
• Abigail shot the pursuing burly vampire, then learned from Hedges that Xiahou had not returned and blamed Blade for leaving him behind.
• Hannibal explained that Xiahou had stayed to cover their retreat after being shot, and Blade apologized while Abigail left to grieve.
• At dawn, the group gathered to discuss fighting the vampire progenitor, but Xiahou suddenly reappeared in a flash of light and Abigail hugged him before kicking him.
• Xiahou identified the progenitor as Drake and explained that the group could kill him with Daystar, while warning them to protect their base and move noncombatants elsewhere.
• Abigail agreed to consider Xiahou's suggestions, and Xiahou checked his panel, where a mission-completion notification was flashing.

Xiahou used two targeted draws, gaining a Spirit Phone skill and a Basic Enhancement Potion, then drank the potion and checked his upgraded stats. He left stronger but still frustrated that the enhancement had not changed his appearance like Captain America's.

• Xiahou spent energy on a targeted draw and received the Spirit Phone skill, which let him call each dead person once for up to two hours.
• Xiahou drew a Basic Enhancement Potion, drank it, and handed the empty test tube to Field so she could study it.
• Xiahou grew overheated and thirsty after drinking the potion, then felt better after drinking several bottles of water.
• Xiahou checked his personal panel and found his strength, agility, and intelligence had increased to 18, 12, and 15.

Xiahou challenged Blade to test his newly strengthened body, but Blade quickly disarmed him and advised him to practice before they sparred again. As Abigail took the exhausted Xiahou to rest, he joked that his player status and anti-lewdness function made romance between them impossible.

• Xiahou asked Blade to spar, and Abigail led them and the others to the basketball court.
• Xiahou showed off the Red Queen and Blue Rose, while Hannibal admired the Red Queen before Blade called them to fight.
• Blade defeated Xiahou, knocking the Red Queen from his hands and holding his sword to Xiahou's neck.
• Blade criticized Xiahou's poor combat experience and suggested daily sparring after Xiahou practiced on his own.
• Abigail offered to take Xiahou somewhere to rest, and Xiahou teased her about liking him before revealing his anti-lewdness function.

Xiahou rejected Abigail’s advances in the game and decided to train his combat skills, discovering that his shooting aim improved with careful practice. By nightfall, Blade and the others returned to the base and saw him training.

• Hannibal and Xiahou left the court while the others reacted to their conversation about Xiahou’s unremovable shorts and bathroom habits.
• Abigail escorted Xiahou to his room, where he reflected that he did not want to date an NPC and resolved to train so he could master his techniques.
• After waking from a dream, Xiahou learned that Blade, Abigail, and Hannibal had gone to question vampire associates, while Field studied the virus and serum.
• Xiahou declined Little Fatty and Little Black’s offer to spar and went outside to practice with his revolver.
• Xiahou missed all his targets when firing casually, then hit them one by one while aiming carefully.
• Blade and the others returned to the base at night and spotted Xiahou practicing his shooting.

Xiahou improved his shooting, accepted a side quest to help Hannibal’s group capture Dr. Vance, and warned them that Drake might also be there. As the group prepared to leave for Vance’s office, Xiahou became upset when Abigail suggested their world might be real rather than a game, then apologized for his reaction.

• Xiahou mastered stationary-target shooting and accepted a quest to accompany Hannibal, Blade, and Abigail to capture Dr. Vance without casualties.
• Xiahou warned the group that Drake might appear and said Drake seemed interested in Blade, prompting them to discuss equipment and a battle plan.
• Abigail decided the group would not use Feld’s unfinished Daystar weapon, and Xiahou planned to join the mission while everyone checked their gear.
• Xiahou practiced unarmed combat on the roof as Blade chose another place to go.
• On the drive to Dr. Vance’s office, Abigail asked whether Xiahou had considered that their world might be real, and Xiahou became agitated before explaining that he still had family in his original world and apologizing.

Xiahou and his companions fought their way to Vance’s office, where they found Drake impersonating him and defeated him with Xiahou’s returning revolver. Vance died after revealing an address, Abigail collected blood from the scene, and the group returned to base while Blade pursued Drake.

• Xiahou bought packs of latiao for the group, and they shared them on the drive to the building.
• Hannibal knocked out a guard, and the group fought past security to reach Vance’s office.
• Xiahou recognized the man in the office as Drake and shot at him, but Drake dodged and grabbed Xiahou as a hostage.
• Xiahou used Blue Rose’s automatic retrieval to shoot Drake through the window, and Blade jumped after him.
• Vance whispered an address to Hannibal before dying, and Xiahou received a mission-completion notification.
• Abigail collected blood from the floor, then returned to base with Xiahou and Hannibal.

Xiahou used the Heart of the Dragon Slayer and collapsed as it gave him a second heart and a vision of Siegfried’s life. After waking, he learned Siegfried had passed his heart and power to him, then teased Abigail, who ran from the room after he rejected her again.

• Abigail and Hannibal brought Drake’s blood to Field, who asked them to fetch Hedges so they could study it.
• Xiahou used the Heart of the Dragon Slayer, suffered severe pain, and fell unconscious.
• Hannibal found Xiahou and brought Field, who determined Xiahou was breathing but had two heartbeats.
• While Abigail watched over him, Xiahou dreamed of Siegfried giving him his heart and power.
• Xiahou woke and told Abigail about Siegfried, then teased her about holding him and repeated that they were not right for each other.
• Abigail denied that she had been comforting him out of affection and ran out of the room.

Xiahou checked his greatly increased attributes after using the Heart of the Dragon Slayer and bought Dante’s Son of Sparda outfit with nearly all his remaining energy points. He showed off his new look to Hannibal and Blade, then asked to test his strength, and Hannibal led him to the testing area with Blade following.

• Xiahou checked his attributes and found his physical stats had risen, gained magic power, and confirmed he could swing Red Queen without strain.
• Xiahou resisted drawing again and spent 320 energy points on Dante’s Son of Sparda outfit, then admired his new look with Red Queen and Blue Rose.
• Xiahou returned to the hall, where Hannibal and Blade praised his appearance and Hannibal wondered how he had become strong enough to carry Red Queen.
• Xiahou told Hannibal and Blade he had gained the Heart of the Dragon Slayer and wanted to measure his strength.
• Hannibal led Xiahou to the testing area, while Blade followed to watch.

Xiahou and Blade tested their enhanced physical abilities, then Xiahou demonstrated the magic-powered Blue Rose and Red Queen weapons. The chapter ended with Blade burning his hand when he touched the Red Queen, while Xiahou felt only warmth and Hannibal moved to test it himself.

• Little Fatty tested Xiahou and Blade, finding that Blade was much stronger and faster while Xiahou’s stats were also far above normal.
• Xiahou fired the Blue Rose at steel plates, using magic to pierce thick steel and then burn a plate away with a stronger shot.
• Blade asked to buy the Blue Rose, but Xiahou explained that it was bound to him and that its special attacks required magic.
• Xiahou used the Red Queen to slice through a steel plate, then failed to activate its second stage when the weapon began trembling and fell to the ground.
• Blade burned his hand trying to pick up the Red Queen, while Xiahou felt only warmth and Hannibal stepped forward to touch it.

Xiahou dreamed that Siegfried trained him in swordsmanship, and he woke able to recall and use the techniques. The Nightcrawler Squad gathered to inspect Field’s newly completed Daystar, while Blade accepted the possibility that it might kill him too.

• Hannibal, Xiahou, Little Fatty, and Abigail touched the Scarlet Rose without harm, while it burned Blade’s hand.
• After dinner, Xiahou found his mana had recovered only to 100 and went to sleep with his swords put away.
• In a dream, Siegfried sparred with Xiahou and corrected his sword grip and technique.
• Xiahou woke remembering the training and tested the techniques with the Red Queen, confirming he could use them.
• Little Fatty brought Xiahou to the hall, where Field explained that Daystar could kill vampires and had been tested against Drake’s blood.
• Blade said he would accept being killed by Daystar if it meant Drake and the other vampires were eliminated.

Xiahou challenged Blade’s plan to sacrifice himself, arguing that he should trust his teammates and choose cooperation over unnecessary self-sacrifice. After reflecting on his past and the story of Siegfried, Xiahou insisted he would never become a hero bound by someone else’s wishes, while Abigail suggested they go sea fishing after defeating the vampires.

• Xiahou criticized Blade for planning to sacrifice himself and argued that the Nightcrawler Squad could help defeat Drake without him dying.
• Field clarified that they did not know whether Daystar would harm Blade, and Xiahou accused Blade of distrusting and dismissing his teammates.
• Hannibal urged Blade to trust the group, leaving Blade to reconsider whether his solitary approach was wrong.
• Xiahou went to the rooftop, where Abigail joined him and asked why he had become so angry.
• Xiahou told Abigail about Siegfried and said he would never become a hero who acted according to someone else’s will.
• Abigail suggested they go sea fishing after defeating the vampires, and a side quest notification appeared on Xiahou’s quest panel.

Xiahou and the Nightcrawler Squad put aside their disagreements and set out to eliminate New Orleans's vampires and their progenitor, Drake. They split up for safety, and Xiahou's team reached the vampires' headquarters ready to fight.

• Xiahou accepted the quest to eliminate New Orleans's vampires and Drake, then Blade apologized for trying to take the fight on alone.
• Abigail punched Blade, and Xiahou urged him to respect the team's choice; Blade joined Xiahou and the others in a united pledge to fight together.
• Field revealed that he had found a vampire headquarters at a pharmaceutical company, but Xiahou suspected it was a decoy and said the blood bank was the real target.
• Abigail gave Xiahou a Daystar and told him to strike if she missed; the team split into two cars, with the others heading for another safe house.
• On the drive, Blade, Xiahou, Hannibal, and Abigail discussed their plans after the vampires were gone, and Hannibal warned that they were nearing the headquarters.
• Hannibal announced that they had reached the vicinity of the vampires' headquarters, and the team prepared to fight.