Sydney

Biodata

Background

Dai Xian found Sydney when he was about three and initially kept him as a potential resource. She placed him in District 18, where he grew up scavenging prosthetic eyes from corpses to trade for supplies. She later stopped paying attention to him after deciding he was of no use to Tangqi and that Luciano would regard him as a threat. Their last meeting before his rescue was when Sydney was eight 11 12.

After Chu Zu rescued Dai Xian, she secretly told him that Sydney was Luciano’s illegitimate son. The system warned that Sydney had not appeared in the original story and could disrupt its main plot; it also predicted that he would otherwise disappear in an accident 9 11.

Appearance

Sydney closely resembles Luciano as a child, though life in the Lower District left him thin and severely malnourished 11 12.

• Hair: Naturally golden; dyed black to disguise his resemblance to Luciano 11.
• Eyes: Deep blue; he wears poor-quality red contacts that leave a hint of purple visible 11 12.
• Teeth: Two pointed canines show when he smiles 12.

Personality

Sydney is perceptive and resourceful. When he first encounters Chu Zu and realizes he cannot escape, he clings to his leg and calls him “Dad.” He often acts pitiful or cries to win sympathy, a tactic he recognizes as a way to survive 11 13.

Curious and mischievous, Sydney rummages through Dai Xian’s intelligence and tries to make mango pie, accidentally burning the kitchen. Despite his theatrical complaints over minor grievances, he endures genuine pain quietly, including the burns caused by his disguise 11 13.

Story Role

Rescue and new identity

Chu Zu finds Sydney in District 18 and agrees to take him away. Sydney dyes his own hair and puts in colored contacts, suffering chemical burns from the supplies. Chu Zu brings him onto a train using Luciano’s access and plans for Dai Xian to raise him 10 11.

At home, Dai Xian gives Sydney a cover story identifying him as Chu Zu’s child and warns him to speak carefully around Chu Zu, who is being monitored. Sydney admits that he had been afraid to die in District 18. Chu Zu later registers him in the Upper District using Esposito’s name 12.

Luciano investigates Chu Zu’s supposed fatherhood and accepts the explanation without meeting Sydney. He offers to support the child, unaware that Sydney is his own son 12.

Life in the Upper District

Sydney receives food, a nutrition patch and a room of his own. Chu Zu generally lets him make his own choices: when Sydney asks to learn to fight, Chu Zu trains him harshly, then lets him stop when he changes his mind 12.

Sydney becomes friends with the girl next door, Bulei. After Chu Zu misses her birthday dinner, Sydney waits for him past midnight. Chu Zu returns convulsing after Luciano activates a device in his body; Sydney later finds him in a bathtub of ice water, climbs in and hugs him, asking what he would do if Chu Zu died 13.

Relationships

• Luciano — Sydney’s biological father. Luciano accepts him as Chu Zu’s son without knowing their blood relationship 9 12.
• Chu Zu — Rescues Sydney and presents him as his own child. Sydney initially calls him “Dad” to survive, but later worries about losing him 11 13.
• Dai Xian — Found Sydney as a young child and kept him hidden in District 18. She later cares for him in the Upper District and helps maintain his cover story 11 12.
• Bulei — Sydney’s next-door neighbor and friend. He visits her frequently and attends her birthday dinner 13.

Notable Quotes

“I didn’t dare... I don’t want to die.” 12

“Don’t get sick. What am I supposed to do if you die?” 13