Chapter Summaries

Song Zhi analyzed a target’s digital traces and correctly identified a woman disguised as a man, allowing Kelante to eliminate her. Hill then challenged Song Zhi to think about counter-surveillance before locking his room door and telling her to lie facedown on his bed.

• Hill gave Song Zhi half an hour to infer a target’s identity and characteristics from personal data.
• Song Zhi concluded that the target was a slightly overweight, short-haired white woman around forty who lived disguised as a man.
• Hill sent Song Zhi’s analysis to Group A, and Kelante spotted and killed the target, finding a military pistol and mercenary ring on her.
• Hill challenged Song Zhi to explain how someone could evade surveillance, then ended the lesson.
• Hill locked the door from inside and ordered Song Zhi to lie facedown on his bed.

Song Zhi endured Hill’s punishing combat and intelligence training, then finally used a clever maneuver to pin him down in a sparring match. She declared victory, but Hill’s excited, dangerous reaction left their encounter tense.

• Hill gave Song Zhi a painful muscle massage and explained that he was covering her combat lessons while the other instructors were unavailable.
• Song Zhi struggled through combat, intelligence, and military-equipment lessons, and Hill criticized her for relying on emotion instead of using her brain.
• When Song Zhi complained that she could never match Hill’s strength, he provoked her into fighting back.
• Song Zhi attacked Hill by surprise, dodged his blows, and used a leg sweep followed by a scissor-leg neck choke to pin him down.
• Song Zhi declared that she had won, but Hill laughed and teased her about being on top of him.

Song Zhi sparred with Hill, who overpowered her and taught her that fights were not fair, before she got her revenge by giving him a painful gua sha treatment. The reunited Group A members gathered in Sri Lanka to welcome their returning teammates and enjoy a rare peaceful evening together.

• Hill pinned Song Zhi, demonstrated how to handle a pistol, and warned her that a real fight was about survival rather than fairness.
• Hill handed Song Zhi a fascia scraper, and she gave him a painful gua sha treatment before they drove to the airport.
• Song Zhi welcomed Kelante back from his mission, and the group went to the hospital to pick up Wilk and Lu Yu after their discharge.
• Lu Yu, Wilk, Kelante, Hill, and Lai'en each embraced Song Zhi, and the six reunited in Sri Lanka.
• The group barbecued and drank outside their apartment as Wilk sang and Song Zhi played guitar with the others.

Song Zhi trained in hand-to-hand combat and shooting with Hill, Lu Yu, and Kelante, showing unexpected skill at the range. After Kelante left, Lu Yu cornered her in a camera blind spot and asked whether she had missed him.

• Hill and Lu Yu sparred fiercely while Song Zhi watched, then tried to make her fight Hill, but she escaped into the women's changing room.
• At the shooting range, Song Zhi scored well with an M1911 and joked that she had served in video games, making Lu Yu laugh and Hill and Kelante smile.
• Kelante guided Song Zhi through a round of shooting, helping her hit the bullseye with all ten shots before kissing her goodbye.
• Lu Yu claimed his sniper expertise made him the right instructor, then cornered Song Zhi against the range's bulletproof glass and asked whether she had missed him.

Lu Yu taught Song Zhi to use an HK416 assault rifle, helping her improve from missing every shot to hitting the target with most of a magazine. After the lesson, he teased her about skipping Hill’s class to learn gun maintenance with him, leaving Song Zhi flustered and suspicious of his phrasing.

• Lu Yu kissed Song Zhi’s cheek, then began teaching her how an assault rifle worked and how to assemble it.
• Song Zhi missed every shot at first, so Lu Yu corrected her stance and helped her fire a full-auto magazine, scoring twelve hits.
• Song Zhi insisted on trying again and improved to twenty hits out of thirty rounds, including six bullseyes.
• Lu Yu ended the lesson, checked and packed the weapons, then took Song Zhi’s hand as they headed home.
• Song Zhi said Hill’s information technology and intelligence analysis lesson was next, and Lu Yu offered to teach her gun maintenance instead, teasing her with suggestive wording.

Song Zhi joined the others in cleaning their guns, then began a demanding tactical lesson with Lai'en. After she objected that she was a guide, not a soldier, Lai'en asked whether she knew how to soothe a soldier.

• Hill tried to take Song Zhi away, but she said she was going to learn gun maintenance from Lu Yu, so everyone joined them to clean their weapons.
• Song Zhi assembled a pistol with Lu Yu's help, and Lai'en returned its missing catch after reminding her to check her equipment carefully.
• The next morning, Lai'en drove Song Zhi to the shooting range and made her practice tactical movements in heavy combat gear.
• After Song Zhi struggled with the drills, she objected that she was a guide and should not be held to a soldier's standards.
• Lai'en explained that Group A members had to prepare for anything and asked Song Zhi whether she knew how to soothe a soldier.

Lai'en warned Song Zhi that blind loyalty could get her killed, then ordered her to continue studying with Hill. After exhaustion made her fall asleep in Hill’s room, she woke in his bed and found herself trapped in an intimate, unsettling situation with him.

• Lai'en questioned Song Zhi about her role in Group A and told her he would rather she survive than die out of blind loyalty.
• Song Zhi trained through the afternoon and obeyed Lai'en's order to study with Hill that night.
• Hill gave Song Zhi a tablet of Group A's medicines, and she fell asleep while compiling the medication list.
• Song Zhi woke in Hill's bed with his arm around her waist and tried to leave, but Hill pulled her back and told her to keep quiet.

After confronting Hill about the Bas mission, Song Zhi was caught in an intimate encounter with him during a rainy night and woke in his bed the next afternoon. The rain delayed training, and Kelante later offered to drive her out after finding her struggling to repair a bicycle.

• Song Zhi mentioned the Bas mission to Hill, provoking his anger, and tried to calm him by asking him to be gentle.
• Song Zhi woke in Hill's bed the next afternoon and hurried out, where she ran into Kelante wearing Hill's oversized T-shirt.
• Kelante told Song Zhi that the group had the day off because of the rain, and she showered, changed, and went to eat.
• Hill brought Song Zhi chocolate while she made coffee, and Kelante noticed Hill's brief smile toward her.
• After the rain stopped, Kelante found Song Zhi trying to fix a bicycle and offered to drive her to buy what she needed.

Song Zhi went shopping and watched the sunset with Kelante before joining Group A for an urban combat training exercise. After a flashbang left her separated from Lai'en and Wilk, she was stranded amid the simulated gunfire with no response on the radio.

• Kelante took Song Zhi shopping, held her hand, and stopped by the sea with her to watch the sunset before driving them back.
• Song Zhi rode to routine group training with Wilk, Lu Yu, Hill, and Kelante, and Lu Yu stole a piece of candy from her mouth.
• Group A and Group B began a simulated urban combat exercise, with Lai'en, Wilk, and Song Zhi on Group A against Kelante, Lu Yu, and Hill on Group B.
• Song Zhi struggled to navigate the exercise and nearly followed the enemy, so Wilk warned her to stay with her teammates.
• A flashbang separated Song Zhi from Lai'en and Wilk, and her radio calls went unanswered as gunfire erupted nearby.

Song Zhi accidentally entered the enemy trench during a military exercise and was captured, only to learn she had unknowingly completed a mission by transmitting the enemy’s coordinates. After negotiations failed, she endured a staged punishment and interrogation, then attacked Kelante and took him hostage.

• Song Zhi followed Lai'en’s directions to a trench but jumped into the enemy camp, where Hill tackled and captured her.
• Kelante found a hidden tracker on Song Zhi and explained that she had successfully transmitted their coordinates to Lai'en.
• After negotiations failed, Lu Yu and Hill staged a mock assault as Song Zhi’s punishment, while Kelante interrogated her for information.
• Song Zhi pretended to give Kelante a set of numbers, then looped her bound hands around his neck and took him hostage.

Song Zhi chose Wilk as her partner in Group A’s live-ammunition welcome ceremony and fled with him into the alleys. After Hill hacked their radio, Wilk decided they would hunt the others rather than hide, while Song Zhi rested under his watch.

• Song Zhi exposed Lai'en’s deception, learned the ambush was Group A’s welcome ceremony, and chose Wilk as her teammate.
• Lai'en started the game, and Wilk freed Song Zhi before they escaped into the alleys with their equipment and weapons.
• Lai'en ordered the others to begin searching after ten minutes, while Hill hacked into Song Zhi and Wilk’s radio channel.
• Song Zhi and Wilk cut their radio connection, and Wilk urged her to eliminate their pursuers instead of hiding for seventy-two hours.
• Wilk prepared a concealed place for Song Zhi to sleep and promised to keep watch.

Song Zhi and Wilk hid from Lai'en's squad through the night while the others searched for them and prepared an assault. After Song Zhi survived 12 hours, Wilk woke her at dawn so they could move before the squad attacked.

• Wilk built a heat-insulating shelter with Song Zhi, set traps, and explained the squad members' fighting styles.
• Wilk and Song Zhi hid together as Hill searched for them with a drone, while Lai'en's squad gathered at point C and arranged watches.
• Lai'en ordered a full assault for five the next morning, and the squad rested while Hill monitored Song Zhi's vital signs.
• Song Zhi survived 12 hours, and Wilk woke her at dawn, warning that the others had already made their move.

Song Zhi and Wilk crossed Zone A while Lai'en's team tried to track and ambush them. After evading the squad, they remained hidden as both sides prepared for a night encounter.

• Song Zhi and Wilk reached Zone A, rested in a concealed building, and continued toward its center.
• Song Zhi suspected a trap, and Wilk told her they had to keep moving despite the danger.
• Lu Yu spotted them from a sniper position, while Hill circled through Zone A and marked Wilk's booby traps.
• Song Zhi exposed herself to Lu Yu's scope, and Lai'en ordered him to withdraw before he could take the bait.
• Song Zhi and Wilk vanished, prompting Lai'en to initiate plan B and later assign his team positions for a night ambush.
• Lai'en heard a faint sound nearby and approached the suspicious spot with his gun raised.

Lai'en pursued Wilk while Hill used a drone and thermal imager to search for Song Zhi. After Song Zhi disabled the drone and escaped, she waited for Wilk in a pit, but Hill found her before Wilk returned.

• Lai'en spotted Wilk and pursued him while Hill stayed behind to watch for Song Zhi.
• Hill used a drone to locate Song Zhi, but she destroyed it with an electromagnetic gun and fled.
• Hill reported the damaged drone to Lai'en, then pursued Song Zhi through the dark.
• Song Zhi returned to their hiding place and waited for Wilk, who had planned to draw the enemy away.
• After an hour and thirty minutes, Hill found Song Zhi hiding in a pit and asked who she was waiting for.

After Hill found and treated Song Zhi’s injury, Lai'en suspended the exercise and ordered the team to camp for the night. As the others cared for her, Song Zhi wondered whether the exercise would resume tomorrow and why her sleeping bag was placed between theirs.

• Hill caught Song Zhi, disarmed her, then treated and bandaged her injured hand during the truce.
• Hill radioed the team that Song Zhi was hurt, and Kelante, Lu Yu, Lai'en, and Wilk responded as Lai'en suspended the exercise.
• Wilk rushed toward Hill and Song Zhi, angrily fearing Hill had hurt her and protesting that Lai'en had pushed her too hard.
• Kelante gave Song Zhi a tetanus shot, and Lu Yu teased her while checking her bandaged hand.
• Lai'en ordered the team to camp and rest for the night as they secured the area, prepared food, and set out sleeping bags.
• Song Zhi sat under Hill’s jacket, wondered whether the exercise would continue the next day, and noticed her sleeping bag was placed between the others.

Song Zhi’s warning helped the group survive a missile strike on the harbor, but the attack crippled the base’s defenses and communications. Lai'en sent the others to provide support while Wilk escorted Song Zhi to the hospital.

• As the camp slept, Kelante, Lu Yu, and Hill took turns watching over Song Zhi while Lai'en decided to continue the exercise with a synchronized teamwork assessment.
• Song Zhi woke to ringing in her ears and warned the group that missiles were incoming.
• Lai'en tried to alert Miller as a missile struck the harbor, and Kelante shielded Song Zhi while the group sheltered in a pit.
• After the explosions, Kelante checked Song Zhi for injuries, and Lu Yu caught her when she nearly fainted.
• Lai'en ordered Wilk to escort Song Zhi to the hospital while the others replenished ammunition and went to support the base.
• Kelante, Lu Yu, and Hill said goodbye to Song Zhi before Wilk led her away from the blast zone.

As the base came under attack, Miller tried to evacuate Song Zhi to Australia with Group A’s death-benefit documents, but she refused to leave them behind. She forced Miller out of the vehicle and drove toward the east coast, where Group A was fighting, with only an hour before the area would be destroyed.

• Wilk escorted Song Zhi to the hospital, then left as gunfire and explosions erupted nearby.
• Miller pulled Song Zhi from the hospital and told her the base had fallen and a transport plane was evacuating people to Australia.
• Song Zhi saw that Lai'en and the others had signed Group A’s death-benefit documents and realized they had arranged for her survival.
• Song Zhi refused to abandon Group A, threatened Miller with Truth, and took the vehicle.
• Miller told Song Zhi that Group A was on the east coast and that a helicopter was waiting in hangar five; she drove off toward the fighting.

Song Zhi drove to the east coast to rescue Group A as they fought off an enemy landing after their base defenses were sabotaged. She picked up the wounded team and headed for the airport, where a helicopter waited, as an intercontinental missile was locked onto the area.

• Miller left for the airport, believing a high-ranking Munich official had arranged an attack on Group A.
• Song Zhi contacted Lai'en over the radio and angrily rejected the idea of collecting death benefits for the team's five men.
• Enemy missiles destroyed a transport plane as Group A fought to defend the east coast with dwindling ammunition and no resupply.
• Lai'en ordered the team to retreat through the jungle toward the road while Lu Yu provided covering fire.
• Song Zhi found the wounded mercenaries on the coastal road, warned them of the incoming missile, and drove them toward the airport.
• Song Zhi told Lai'en that Miller had left a helicopter in hangar five.

Song Zhi rescued Group A and led them to a helicopter at the airport, where they prepared to escape their pursuers. As the team took off, Hill reacted shyly to Song Zhi’s tender care, while Lu Yu teased her for treating them differently.

• Song Zhi said she had forced Officer Miller to help them, and Hill replaced the blanks in her pistol with live ammunition.
• Wilk fired the last rocket at their pursuers as Song Zhi drove through the blast; Lai'en steadied the wheel and treated his bleeding arm.
• Song Zhi drove the group to hangar five, where they found a fueled Z-21 helicopter stocked with supplies.
• Kelante checked the cockpit while Lai'en set a flight path and assigned the team their positions for takeoff.
• Song Zhi wiped sweat from Hill’s face, leaving him flustered, then shoved an energy bar into Lu Yu’s mouth after he complained about her different treatment.

Song Zhi and the others escaped Sri Lanka by helicopter as a devastating blast destroyed the power station, then landed on an unnamed island when they ran low on fuel. Hill led Song Zhi and Kelante toward the others’ hiding place, leaving Song Zhi to wonder whether they were stranded on a deserted island.

• Wilk treated Lu Yu’s thirst while Song Zhi tended Wilk’s shoulder and found contraceptive injections in the medical supplies.
• As the helicopter took off, Lu Yu shot an enemy aiming a rocket launcher, and the resulting explosions let the group escape under Wilk’s covering fire.
• After the helicopter left Sri Lankan airspace, a bright projectile struck the power station and a heat wave devastated the land; Lu Yu and Song Zhi rested together as the others shared food and supplies.
• When Song Zhi woke, Kelante told her they had landed on an unnamed island because the helicopter lacked fuel, and he kissed her hand.
• Hill arrived, took Song Zhi to the others’ hiding place, and led her through dense vegetation toward a misty lighthouse while Kelante followed with the fuel can.