Chapter Summaries

Shen Xing heard about a hyper-realistic game after a player was killed by a monster in its mist-filled world, and learned that strange fog incidents were appearing around Jiangcheng. His friends invited him to try the game, which might let him experience standing again, and the chapter ended with them describing its lifelike troops.

• A young player found the Book of the Dead in the Plague Plains but was killed by a monster in the mist.
• The monster's fog spread through Jiangcheng and enveloped a high-rise apartment building.
• Shen Xing read reports of strange incidents around Jiangcheng while preparing food in his apartment.
• Qin Lang told Shen Xing and their friends about a realistic game where players developed villages and recruited troops.
• Shen Xing considered the invitation while reflecting on the accident that left his legs ruined.
• Qin Lang said the game offered lifelike troops, including beast-eared girls, half-elves, and succubi.

Shen Xing entered the Land of Mist and discovered that the game reproduced his disabled body, leaving him in a wheelchair. He drew an Orc Barracks and recruited his first ten troops, whose unexpected bond strengthened groups of orcs.

• Shen Xing put on the gaming glasses and entered the Land of Mist, where his in-game body was also confined to a wheelchair.
• Shen Xing checked his attributes and learned that the bonfire protected the village by keeping mist at bay.
• Shen Xing used the obsidian altar to draw an ordinary Orc Barracks as his initial troop nest.
• Shen Xing placed the barracks beside the bonfire and recruited the first ten orc infantry for free.
• Shen Xing inspected the new recruits and saw that their bond increased all orcs' strength when more than ten were present.

Shen Xing prepared to defend his village from the first wave of monsters and discovered his unique hidden talent, Life-Sacrifice Evolution. He sacrificed agility to evolve an orc infantryman as fifteen Lost Ones emerged from the fog.

• Shen Xing checked the group chat, where Qin Lang warned that the fog was dangerous and explained the lantern, timed monster attacks, and battle ratings.
• A warning summoned Shen Xing back to the village, where he ordered ten orc infantrymen to prepare for an attack.
• Fifteen level-one Lost Ones emerged from the fog, and Shen Xing worried that his outnumbered orcs would struggle.
• Shen Xing unlocked the unique talent Life-Sacrifice Evolution, which could sacrifice one of his attributes to improve a troop unit's potential.
• Shen Xing chose the mohawked orc infantryman and confirmed sacrificing ten agility to evolve him.

Shen Xing used Life-Sacrifice Evolution to strengthen an orc during battle, earning an S-rank reward and learning a skill book. After sleeping, he woke to his friends inviting him out to discuss the game.

• Shen Xing successfully used Life-Sacrifice Evolution on the mohawk orc, raising its potential and agility.
• The strengthened mohawk orc helped defeat the Lost, and Shen Xing’s side won an S-rank evaluation with 12 soul stones, 120 food, and the Hand of the Void skill book.
• Shen Xing collected the battle spoils and learned Hand of the Void, then went to sleep after staying up all night.
• Shen Xing woke after two in the afternoon and read his friends’ group chat invitation to meet at the Sichuan Fragrance Pavilion.
• Shen Xing felt moved by the chance to go out and wanted to discuss the game with his friends.

Shen Xing discovered that he could use the game skill Hand of the Void in reality when he saved two women from a falling steel bar. He met his former university friends for a meal and began asking about their game experiences.

• Shen Xing struggled to cross a step in his wheelchair until two young women helped him over it.
• Shen Xing used an invisible spiritual hand to knock a falling steel bar away from the two women, then realized the game skill Hand of the Void worked in reality.
• Shen Xing wondered whether game abilities could help him walk again and decided to test whether others could use them before revealing his discovery.
• Shen Xing met Qin Lang, Lu Xiang, and Xu Jiayi at Chuanxiang Pavilion, where they ate and caught up.
• Qin Lang asked what troops the others had drawn and how their first battles had been rated, and one of them said he had drawn a one-star undead graveyard.

After Lu Xiang died in the game, a monster emerged from his body and attacked Shen Xing and his friends at Sichuan Fragrance Pavilion. An operative from the Jiangcheng Anomaly Handling Bureau killed it, leaving Shen Xing wondering whether the man’s golden power resembled his own Hand of the Void.

• Shen Xing told Qin Lang, Lu Xiang, and Xu Jiayi that he earned an S rank through tactics, hiding his Life-Sacrifice Evolution talent.
• Xu Jiayi revealed that the game warned her damage could affect her real body, while Lu Xiang said his character had died and he planned to start over.
• Lu Xiang suddenly developed a black hole in his chest, shattered, and released gray mist that filled Sichuan Fragrance Pavilion.
• A powerful Lost One appeared in the mist and attacked Qin Lang as Shen Xing, Qin Lang, and Xu Jiayi tried to flee.
• A golden spear burst through the window and killed the Lost One, and an operative from the Jiangcheng Anomaly Handling Bureau entered to investigate.
• Shen Xing noticed a golden glow on the operative’s fingertips and wondered if it was similar to his Hand of the Void.

Zhou Zheng explained to Shen Xing, Qin Lang, and their companion that the game’s dangers carried over into reality and that the government could not ban it. After the three signed an agreement and left, Zhou Zheng’s colleague questioned his use of an expensive scroll, and he warned her not to pry.

• Zhou Zheng explained that game deaths could kill players in reality, while mist and monsters could threaten the public, and described the Anomaly Handling Bureau’s role.
• Zhou Zheng gave the three pioneers agreements to sign and told them they could not quit because monsters would keep attacking their camps.
• Shen Xing, Qin Lang, and their companion signed the agreements, and Zhou Zheng explained why governments could not control the game and why powerful pioneers served as strategic deterrents.
• Zhou Zheng told the three that outstanding pioneers could receive support and join the Bureau after reaching Tier Two, then sent them away without being able to do anything for Lu Xiang’s remains.
• After the three left, Xiao Min reported that the scene had been handled and questioned Zhou Zheng’s use of a costly [Spear of Holy Light] scroll; he cautioned her against asking too many questions.

After the first battle, Shen Xing reviewed his resources and consulted China’s internal game forum to learn how troops and progression worked. A beginner guide advised him to level up his troops with Soul Stones before exploring the mist, leaving him with a clearer plan for surviving the next attack.

• Qin Lang blamed himself in the group chat for obtaining the glasses and leading them into the events that ended with Lu Xiang’s death, while Shen Xing urged him and Xu Jiayi to take the game seriously.
• Shen Xing returned to Mist Reincarnation, confirmed that the orcs had recovered around the campfire, and counted his supplies as he considered how to strengthen his forces.
• Shen Xing used the text from Zhou Zheng to access China’s internal game forum and browsed its beginner guides.
• Shen Xing learned the game’s troop level tiers and potential grades, then opened a guide to planning early resources.
• Family Hero’s guide recommended spending Soul Stones to raise troop levels and having at least three level-two troops before exploring the mist.

Shen Xing used soul stones to raise all ten orc infantrymen to level 2, then advanced Hellscream to three stars, greatly increasing his power and giving him a new weapon and skill. With his troops strengthened and Hellscream proving his might, Shen Xing prepared to explore beyond the village.

• Shen Xing gave a soul stone to each of his ten orc infantrymen, naming the cleverest one Hellscream.
• The orcs reached level 2, and Hellscream demonstrated his strength by lifting Shen Xing and hurling a huge boulder.
• Shen Xing combined ten Broken Souls into a Dim Soul and used it to raise Hellscream’s potential from two stars to three.
• Hellscream gained stronger attributes, an Orc Iron Axe, beast-hide shoulder guards, and the Wind Walk skill.
• Hellscream split the boulder with his axe, and Shen Xing ordered his troops to form up for an exploration beyond the village.

Shen Xing led Hellscream and four orc infantrymen through the fog to explore the wasteland, where they fought off Lost Ones and collected souls and other loot. The party discovered an extinguished Black Crystal Tower that could produce Black Crystal for their territory once relit.

• Shen Xing split the orcs between camp duty and an expedition, then led Hellscream and four others beyond the territory with a lantern.
• Hellscream and the orc infantrymen killed sixteen Lost Ones, and Hellscream crushed one with his strength and Wind Walk.
• A level-three Lost One ambushed Shen Xing, but he stopped it with Hand of the Void and ordered the orcs to kill it.
• The orcs recovered eight Soul Stones, eighteen Vinar Silver Coins, twelve Shattered Souls, and one Complete Dim Soul from the corpses.
• Shen Xing had an orc carry him as the party crossed the rough wasteland, then Hellscream spotted an extinguished Black Crystal Tower.

Shen Xing explored the mist, lit a black crystal spire, and discovered an abandoned black iron vein guarded by a powerful black wolf. He led his orcs into battle, and Hellscream landed a heavy axe blow on the wolf’s neck.

• Shen Xing learned that black crystals could upgrade territory buildings and lit the black crystal spire, which became a rest stop and resource point.
• Shen Xing’s group defeated several Lost Ones, collected soul stones and coins, then turned back because the lantern was running low on oil.
• Hellscream sensed a beast and metal near a rocky slope, where Shen Xing found an abandoned black iron vein that would require miners to work.
• A level 4 black wolf emerged from the mine, knocked down and injured several of Shen Xing’s level 2 orcs, and resisted their attacks.
• Shen Xing ordered the orcs to hold the wolf while Hellscream circled around; Hellscream struck the wolf with an invisible blow, then drove his iron axe deep into its neck.

Shen Xing and his orcs defeated a powerful black wolf, occupied a Black Iron Vein, and returned to their territory with valuable loot. He began upgrading the Bonfire and planned to strengthen Hellscream and another orc.

• Shen Xing ordered the wounded treated after Hellscream and the orcs killed the black wolf, then collected five Soul Stones and a Worg Recruitment Scroll.
• Shen Xing occupied the Small Black Iron Vein and found Black Iron, a Bone Fruit, an Arrow Tower Blueprint, a Phantom Clone Scroll, a Repeating Crossbow, and arrows inside.
• Shen Xing returned to the village, where the orcs eagerly butchered the wolf for meat while he tallied the expedition's loot.
• Shen Xing spent five Soul Stones to upgrade the Bonfire to level 2 and combined Shattered Souls into three Complete Dim Souls.
• Shen Xing planned to use Life-Sacrifice Evolution on Hellscream and gave two Dim Souls to an injured orc to absorb.

Shen Xing evolved an orc infantryman into the three-star Gorehowl, then learned to build Level 1 Arrow Towers and tested a new crossbow. He ended the chapter practicing his aim after missing a makeshift target.

• An orc infantryman advanced to two stars, failed his next attempt, then used the final soul to reach three stars and learn Heavy Strike.
• Shen Xing named the newly evolved orc Gorehowl.
• Shen Xing learned the Arrow Tower Blueprint and began building two Level 1 Arrow Towers beside the village entrance.
• Shen Xing stored a Phantom Clone Scroll and examined a Mechanism Crossbow he could use from his wheelchair.
• Shen Xing practiced with the crossbow, but his first arrow missed the door and struck a window.

Shen Xing learned that game fruits could treat real-world illnesses and discovered how to transfer items from the game into reality. He ate the Bone Fruit, while choosing to delay using a Flesh Fruit that might help his paralyzed legs so he could preserve his hidden talent’s daily advancement exploit.

• Shen Xing and Xu Jiayi told Cilantro Who Loves to Play how their troops had leveled up, and Cilantro shared that special game fruits could sell for high prices because they helped treat illnesses in reality.
• Cilantro told Shen Xing that Bone Fruits and Flesh Fruits had helped another paralyzed player regain limited use of his legs, and Xu Jiayi offered to bring Shen Xing a Flesh Fruit.
• Shen Xing declined Xu Jiayi’s offer for now because he feared that healing his legs would end his ability to exploit [Life-Sacrifice Evolution].
• Shen Xing searched the forum, learned how to use the flower-shaped mark on his arm to transfer game items into reality, and materialized the Bone Fruit.
• Shen Xing tentatively tasted the Bone Fruit and ate it.

After Lu Xiang’s death was reported, Shen Xing discovered that the Bone Fruit had strengthened his body and then fended off his landlady Tang Mengmei’s advances. He entered his territory and found it expanded, with new defenses and the orcs reporting that they had defeated two monster raids overnight.

• Qin Lang shared a report that Lu Xiang had died in what was being treated as an accident, and the discussion group mourned him.
• Shen Xing found his arms and bones stronger after eating the Bone Fruit, and he performed push-ups before leaving to get breakfast.
• Tang Mengmei propositioned Shen Xing in the elevator, but he refused and escaped to the ground floor.
• Shen Xing read the new Jiangcheng Regional section of the Huaguo Pioneers Forum, then returned to his rental and entered the game.
• Shen Xing saw that his territory’s campfire range had expanded and two diamond-shaped arrow towers had appeared.
• Hellscream and Gorehowl told Shen Xing that the orcs had beaten two waves of monsters and handed over the spoils and bone arrows.

Shen Xing evolved Hellscream into an elite★ Orc Fighter, then prepared to recruit worgs before a monster attack interrupted him. As the battle began, Hellscream charged into the Lost Ones and unleashed Bladestorm.

• Shen Xing chose the Orc Fighter advancement path for Hellscream, raising his potential to elite★ and awakening Bladestorm.
• Shen Xing prepared to use a Worg Recruitment Scroll, but a system warning announced an impending attack.
• Shen Xing gathered ten orc infantrymen at the village entrance as Lost Ones and Fel Hounds emerged from the mist.
• Shen Xing ordered Hellscream to attack the three-star Lost Ones and Gorehowl to hold off the Fel Hounds.
• Hellscream rushed into the Lost Ones, cut down several with his double-bladed axe, and began spinning with Bladestorm.

Shen Xing’s forces defeated the stronger monster wave, and he summoned a worg that tried to attack him before Hellscream beat it into submission. The worg remained defiant as Shen Xing ordered Hellscream to stop.

• Hellscream, Bloodhowl, Shen Xing, and the arrow towers killed the Lost Ones and hellhounds, then dealt with a final monster that had tried to reach the bonfire.
• Shen Xing collected the battlefield loot and told Bloodhowl to give extra meat to the injured orcs.
• Shen Xing used a recruitment scroll to summon an ordinary two-star worg, which looked at him as prey.
• Hellscream struck the worg and beat it until Shen Xing told him to stop, leaving the injured beast still defiant.

Shen Xing leveled up with Soul Stones, upgraded his Hurricane Lantern, and led Hellscream and five orcs into the fog to gather resources. After finding several valuable fruits, the group encountered something that made Hellscream stop with a grave expression.

• Shen Xing sent Bloodhowl to subdue the wounded warg, then absorbed three Soul Stones and reached level 3.
• Shen Xing took Hellscream and five orcs into the fog and upgraded the Hurricane Lantern to level 2.
• The group revisited the Black Crystal Tower, collected its five Black Crystal, and fought stronger Lost Ones and Evil Dogs while gathering resources.
• Hellscream found a Brain Fruit growing from a decayed body, and Shen Xing ate it to increase his Spirit.
• The group collected two Bone Fruits and one Blood Fruit before Hellscream stopped, sensing that something was wrong.

Shen Xing discovered Plague Village and fled after realizing its inhabitants were far stronger than his party. A pursuing Dark Vulture caught up with them, and Hellscream wounded it before Shen Xing and the orcs attacked.

• Shen Xing learned that special areas contained dangerous monsters and valuable rewards, then scouted Plague Village from a distance.
• Shen Xing saw high-level Plague Believers and elite Plague Priests worshipping a dark-red statue and ordered his party to retreat.
• A Plague Priest spotted Shen Xing's group, prompting the Plague Believers and a flying Dark Vulture to pursue them.
• The orcs outran the Plague Believers, but the Dark Vulture swooped down and grabbed an orc.
• Hellscream struck the Dark Vulture's wing with a critical axe blow, and Shen Xing and the orc infantry attacked it as it recovered and spun around.

Shen Xing returned to his territory with Grommash and the other orcs after defeating a Dark Vulture, bringing back an advancement soul and Hope's Plume. Grommash advanced to elite ★★, then tested Earth-Splitting Slam from the air, leaving the territory shaking from the impact.

• Grommash killed the Dark Vulture after it tried to escape, and the plague followers arrived too late to stop the orcs from taking its corpse and loot.
• Shen Xing returned to the territory with six orcs and found a Bright Elite Soul and Hope's Plume among the spoils.
• Shen Xing gave the advancement soul to Grommash and urged the orcs to keep working hard as the territory grew.
• Grommash advanced to elite ★★, gained Berserker Pauldrons, and awakened Earth-Splitting Slam.
• Shen Xing asked Grommash to test the skill from the air using Hope's Plume, and Grommash's strike hit the ground with a huge shock wave.