Dead Town

Story context

Welcome back, fellow survivors. Last chapter was a baptism of fire—literally. This time, Li Huowang wakes up in the charred aftermath of Dead Town, only to discover that the line between ‘healed’ and ‘haunted’ is thinner than his brand-new, excruciatingly sensitive skin. Our boy is raw, both physically and mentally, and the chapter gives us a brutal, quiet moment of penance before yanking us right back into the cognitive mayhem. If you thought Danyangzi was gone, think again. The ghost isn’t just in the machine anymore—he’s in the mirror. And he brought a friend.

Why it matters

This chapter is a masterclass in pacing—a quiet, painful exhale after the explosive climax of the previous arc, but one that deliberately sets your teeth on edge. Li Huowang’s burial spree is not heroic. It’s self-flagellation. He’s physically torturing himself because the pain is the only thing that makes him feel less like a monster. The fact that he carves *cloth patterns* instead of words because he’s *forgotten how to write* is a subtle but devastating sign of his degradation.

Quick facts

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Source novel

Dao Gui Yi Xian