The novel tells the story of the protagonist Lin Chen's growth from the battlefield to the campus, and finally finds his spiritual destination. 23-Year-old Lin Chen was a mercenary of the Western Continent Federation. He signed a "sale contract" to save his critically ill mother and spent five years on the battlefield. After his mother passed away, he returned to China with scars all over his body and PTSD. He was admitted to Tunghai University as a senior repeat student, trying to find an opportunity to "come ashore" in a peaceful world.
On campus, he hides his past and uses military thinking to deal with academics, entrepreneurship and emotions. He and his three roommates formed the "Four Horsemen of Shenzhou" and founded the second-hand book platform "Shenzhou"; he met Gu Xiao, a girl from the art department, who used her paintbrush to heal the shrapnel in his soul little by little. When the remnants of the Dark Fire threatened everything he cherished, Lin Chen had to use battlefield methods again to protect his lover, brothers and ideals.
The story explores trauma healing, identity and emotional redemption through Lin Chen's transformation from "killing tool" to "guardian". In the end, he found his own shore in Gu Xiao's company and the oath of his brother - not success, but having someone to wait for and a family to return to.
