Chapter Summaries

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 by an NPC, and respawned in an alley. When he discovered that the game had no visible exit option, he feared he was trapped inside and sat down in despair.

• Xiahou wandered through the streets in his boxer briefs, mistaking the people around him for NPCs and marveling that he could read English signs.
• Xiahou grabbed a passerby and insulted him, so the man shot him and left him critically wounded.
• Xiahou died and respawned in a shabby alley with a replacement starter outfit, but his old belongings had not returned.
• Xiahou searched the area for equipment and found only junk, then decided he needed to log off and feed his cat.
• Xiahou could not find an exit option or summon customer service, so he panicked and sat against a wall, believing he might be trapped in the game.

Xiahou explored the unfamiliar city, discovered that the game shop’s purchases went into his inventory, and found its powerful items far beyond his budget. When a young man asked how he had made a steamed bun appear, the game offered Xiahou a side quest, leaving him to decide whether to accept it.

• Xiahou reassured himself that the game company would eventually rescue him, then wandered through the deserted neighborhood to learn how the game worked.
• When he became hungry, Xiahou opened the shop, bought a steamed bun for one energy point, and discovered it had appeared in his inventory.
• Xiahou examined the shop’s expensive weapons and extraordinary items, realizing his 99 energy points were nowhere near enough to buy them.
• A young white man asked Xiahou to repeat the trick of producing a bun from nowhere, and a side quest appeared offering 50 energy points and a random draw.

Xiahou completed a quest by conjuring a steamed bun, earned energy, and used his first random draw to obtain Nero’s Red Queen and Blue Rose. As he prepared to inspect the weapons, a woman walked past him and left.

• Xiahou completed the quest by taking out a steamed bun, but realized he could not speak English.
• A young man took the bun from Xiahou, left him twenty dollars, and ran off.
• Xiahou claimed his quest reward and spent his available draw on the random draw screen.
• Xiahou drew Red Queen and Blue Rose, two weapons from Devil May Cry, and read their descriptions.
• Xiahou prepared to take out the weapons, but a woman walked past him and silently left.

Xiahou bound the Red Queen and Blue Rose, discovered that his low strength made them difficult to use, and accidentally fired the handgun with devastating force. After buying a language module, he searched for somewhere to sleep and considered a subway station.

• Xiahou bound the Red Queen and Blue Rose, then found he could barely lift the greatsword because his strength was only 3.
• Xiahou summoned the Blue Rose and fired at a paint bucket, but the recoil knocked him down and the shot destroyed the bucket and a section of wall.
• Xiahou worried about how to level up and where to stay, then bought a Basic Language Module for 135 energy points and learned major Earth languages.
• Xiahou searched for a place to sleep, found no homeless people or street furniture, and considered sleeping in a nearby subway station.

Xiahou rescued Abigail from four vampires in a subway station and revealed what he remembered about her from a movie. Abigail learned that her father might die that night and rushed off to save him.

• Xiahou left his hiding place and confronted four vampires who were attacking Abigail and a baby.
• Xiahou and Abigail killed the vampires, and Abigail demanded to know how Xiahou recognized her.
• Xiahou accepted a side quest and told Abigail about her identity, team, and the possible death of her father, Whistler.
• Abigail grabbed Xiahou and pulled him out of the subway station to try to save Whistler.

Xiahou and Abigail arrived too late to save Blade from the destruction at the docks, deepening Xiahou’s doubts about whether the world was a game. After convincing himself it was, he leveled up, allocated attribute points, and drew a skill before Abigail stopped outside a factory.

• Xiahou and Abigail reached the docks as an explosion destroyed them, and Xiahou saw Blade captured while Abigail silently wept.
• Abigail drove toward a nearby city as Xiahou wrestled with whether the people in the world were real, then reassured himself that it was a game.
• Xiahou noticed he had reached level two and spent five free attribute points, adding one to intelligence and four to strength.
• Xiahou used the prize draw for skills and bloodlines and received Unending Breath, a skill that let him breathe underwater for ten minutes.
• Xiahou claimed the skill and gained its incantation, then Abigail brought the car to a stop outside a factory.

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

• Abigail took Xiahou to the factory and panicked when he said the Nightcrawler Squad would be wiped out, with only three survivors.
• Xiahou refused to tell Abigail how the squad died unless she issued him a quest, but her attempts failed to trigger one.
• Abigail led Xiahou through the factory, where he spotted a little girl, and brought him to meet Hannibal and the others.
• Abigail asked the group to issue Xiahou a quest, and Hannibal asked whether they were game characters and what Xiahou knew about their plot.
• Hannibal triggered a quest, which Xiahou accepted, and Xiahou said he was a player who had learned about them from an old movie.

After completing his mission, Xiahou told the Nightcrawler Squad what he remembered about their future and revealed that he was a player who could respawn and summon Blue Rose. When he admitted he was trapped in the game, Abigail invited him to join the squad, and he accepted.

• Xiahou recounted the vampires’ attack, the deaths of Sommerfield and others, and how Abigail and Blade later fought back with Daystar.
• Xiahou explained that he had already claimed his reward, then told the squad he had died once, could respawn, and had summoned Nero’s Blue Rose.
• Abigail asked Xiahou what he planned to do, and he admitted he was trapped in the game and did not know what came next.
• Abigail invited Xiahou to join the Nightcrawler Squad until he found a way back or decided what to do, and he accepted.
• A notification marked with an exclamation point appeared in Xiahou’s field of vision.

Xiahou accepted a quest to rescue Blade and hurried with Abigail, Hannibal, and Little Black toward the danger. On the way, he tried using his game resources to prepare, but drew a packet of spicy strips instead of a useful upgrade.

• Xiahou bound his new residence as his respawn point and told the others that players could return after dying.
• Xiahou warned Abigail and the others that Blade was in danger, then accepted a quest to ensure Blade and the Nightcrawler Squad survived.
• Sommerfield gave Hannibal a suppression serum for Blade, and Hannibal and Abigail joined Xiahou and Little Black in the car.
• Xiahou described Deadpool and the multiverse to his companions as they drove toward the rescue.
• Xiahou used a random draw and received spicy strips, which Hannibal, Abigail, and Little Black quickly ate.
• Xiahou checked the game store to see what he could buy with his remaining energy points.

Xiahou bought Basic Combat Skills from the game shop and received a flood of fighting knowledge, but quickly discovered he still needed to practice. The group arrived at the FBI building, where Abigail and Hannibal split up to sabotage the surveillance and rescue Blade.

• Xiahou spent 1,250 energy points on Basic Combat Skills and briefly became dazed with a bleeding nose as the information entered his mind.
• Abigail, Hannibal, and Little Black checked on Xiahou, who explained that he had bought an item from the game shop.
• Xiahou tried to spin the Blue Rose but dropped it, realizing that the skills and knowledge did not make him instantly proficient.
• Little Black drove the group to the FBI building in 2004, and Xiahou explained that he believed they were in a game set in the Marvel Universe.
• At the underground garage, Little Black left to wait outside while Abigail went to hack the surveillance room and Hannibal headed to rescue Blade.
• Abigail pulled Xiahou along with her to sabotage the FBI building.

Abigail and Xiahou joined Hannibal in rescuing Blade from the vampires, but Blade escaped alone while the others were trapped between vampires and law enforcement. Xiahou stayed behind to cover Abigail and Hannibal’s retreat, was shot, and dissolved into motes of light again.

• Abigail led Xiahou to the surveillance room, where they knocked out the guards and destroyed the monitoring equipment before heading to Blade’s interrogation room.
• Hannibal killed a vampire and gave Blade suppressant serum, allowing Blade to recover, break free, and drive off the remaining attackers as Danica and another vampire fled.
• Abigail and Xiahou joined Blade and Hannibal, but Blade left through a ventilation duct after the group reached a corridor blocked by LAPD officers and armed vampires.
• Xiahou used Blue Rose to kill vampires and suppress the LAPD officers, then told Abigail and Hannibal to escape while he covered them.
• The LAPD officers shot Xiahou after he tripped, and he kept firing until he lost strength and vanished into motes of light.

After Xiahou was left behind during the escape, Abigail and the others believed he had died, but he reappeared alive in the base and revealed what he knew about the vampires’ future. The group resumed planning to defeat Drake while Xiahou’s return and foreknowledge stunned Blade.

• Hannibal, Abigail, and Blade escaped the FBI building with Little Black, while Abigail shot the vampire pursuing their car.
• Abigail learned Xiahou had not returned and blamed Blade for leaving him behind, while Hannibal explained Xiahou had covered their retreat despite being shot.
• Blade went to the rooftop for quiet, and the group later gathered to discuss fighting the vampire progenitor.
• Xiahou appeared in the hall as points of light formed into his body, and Abigail hugged him before kicking him for teasing her.
• Xiahou identified Drake’s weaknesses and recalled how the vampires had discovered the base, prompting Abigail to plan a more cautious attack and consider moving noncombatants.
• Xiahou checked his panel and saw a notification that a mission had been completed.

After rescuing Blade, Xiahou spent energy on two targeted draws and received Spirit Phone and a Basic Enhancement Potion. He drank the potion, gained improved attributes, and checked his updated status panel, which showed no active quests.

• Xiahou claimed his rescue reward, saw his energy rise to 1,058, and drew the Spirit Phone skill, which let him call each dead person once.
• Xiahou drew a Basic Enhancement Potion and complained that its modest effects were not like Captain America's transformation.
• Xiahou drank the potion, became overheated and intensely thirsty, then felt stronger after drinking several bottles of water.
• Field took the empty test tube to her laboratory to analyze it and see whether she could reproduce the potion.
• Xiahou checked his status panel and saw that his strength, agility, and intelligence had increased, while his energy had fallen to 58 and he had no active quests.

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.