Zhu Yan
You Mistook Me for a Villain? Then I'll Take the Job
- Original Name:
- 筑延 (zhù yán)
- Gender:
- Masculine
- Kind:
- Character
- Scope:
- Novel-specific
- Status:
- Active
- Source:
- AI
- Occurrences:
- 1,178
- Chapters:
- 50
- Context Up To:
- Ch. 50
- Wiki Model:
- GPT-6.1 Terra
- Updated:
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Zhu Yan (筑延) |
| Alias(es) | User Has Been Deregistered; User Account Deleted 9 |
| Species/Race | Human 3 |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | First batch of closed-beta players 1 |
| Occupation/Role | Player; university admittee 1 3 |
| Status | Alive; infected with the Plague Ghost plague and under a temporary exemption 39 49 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1, “My Name is Zhu Yan” |
Power Progression
| Stage / Realm / Level | Chapter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Player Lv. 0; Roleplay Lv. 3 | 3 | Fused with his player badge and ability card. Roleplay could deceive players and horror creatures up to Lv. 3 and hide his player mark for one hour per instance. |
| Player Lv. 1; Roleplay Lv. 4 | 9 | After clearing his beginner instance, Roleplay could deceive targets up to Lv. 4; its per-instance mark concealment increased to 1.5 hours. |
| Complaining Lv. 3; Humiliation Lv. 2 | 8 | Obtained both abilities through the beginner instance’s Ability Deprivation reward. |
| Player Lv. 2; Roleplay Lv. 5; Complaining Lv. 4 | 18 | After clearing Cat-and-Mouse Game, Roleplay gained the capacity to imitate any horror creature’s appearance while fooling creatures up to Lv. 5. |
| Complaining Lv. 5; Humiliation Lv. 3 | 39 | Both abilities advanced after Devouring Villa; Roleplay remained at Lv. 5. Advancing Complaining to Lv. 6 required three closed-beta dungeon clears. |
Background
Zhu Yan’s parents died when he was young, leaving his uncle and aunt as his guardians. His aunt expected him to work at an electronics factory and surrender his salary, but he secretly applied to a university in Anwu City and saved money to leave 1 7.
After dreaming of a closed-beta player announcement, he found a black envelope containing his Roleplay ability card. His first instance began in his aunt’s apartment, overturning his plans to leave quietly 1 3.
Appearance
In his original appearance, Zhu Yan has smooth features and an expression described as half-dead. His ability lets him assume markedly different appearances 1 4.
- Shoulder-length black hair, casually tied into a ponytail 1.
- Slightly upturned eyes, a high nose bridge and a sharply pointed mouth 1.
- A black bird player mark in the center of his left palm, which he can conceal 3 8.
Personality
Zhu Yan is observant and calculating under pressure. He studies people’s habits and vulnerabilities, then builds performances around what they expect to see. During his beginner instance, he exploited his aunt’s desire for normality by posing as her son 5.
He prioritizes survival and is willing to manipulate both people and horror creatures. Nevertheless, he recognizes the danger of becoming overconfident: the pleasure he feels during tense situations and after gaining power seems addictive, so he deliberately forces himself to refocus 8 27 39.
Abilities & Skills
Roleplay
Zhu Yan’s original ability lets him alter his appearance, bearing and aura to impersonate people or horror creatures. It is primarily a deception ability rather than an offensive one 3 4 25.
- At Lv. 5, he can assume the appearance of any horror creature but can only fool creatures at Lv. 5 or below; the deception has no time limit 25.
- He can deceive players at Lv. 5 or below into believing he is another person or a horror creature 25.
- At Lv. 5, he can hide his player mark for 1.5 hours per instance. Outside instances, he found that the concealment was not time-limited 9 25.
- His disguises include his cousin, train attendant Zhang Li, a police officer and a high-level aristocratic horror creature 4 11 13 28.
Complaining
Acquired through Ability Deprivation, Complaining uses insults and blame to weaken a target’s spirit and drain their strength 8 9.
- Zhu Yan used it against a Pseudo-human while questioning it and against the Cannibal House to test its level 13 28.
- At Lv. 5, its effect depends on the target’s level; players at Lv. 5 are unaffected. It does not affect Zhu Yan himself 44.
- He later used it to weaken Demon while maintaining his aristocratic-lady disguise 50.
Humiliation
Humiliation makes a target feel weak all over when Zhu Yan commits an act of physical violence against them 10.
- He used it to incapacitate Guan En during their confrontation in the Cannibal House 36.
- At Lv. 3, it does not affect horror creatures or players at Lv. 4 and above, and it has no effect on Zhu Yan himself 44.
Equipment & Items
- Concealed but Unreleased — A single-use reward that conceals two selected pieces of information about an event and diverts attention to a larger event for a limited time. Zhu Yan used it while evading investigation 17 18 19.
- Miniature typewriter — A treasure taken from the Cannibal House. It can generate a unique identity card, fabricate a background and documents, and enter the information into human systems 35 39.
- Savings Silver Ring — Bound to Zhu Yan; provides five cubic meters of storage and keeps food fresh and warm 44.
- Coexisting with Forbidden Things — A guidebook he bought before Devouring Villa and later consulted for information on witches and demons 24 39 40.
- Short dagger — Purchased before Devouring Villa; capable of damaging horror creatures at Lv. 4 or below 24 25.
- Universal Potion — Used to heal injuries sustained in the Cannibal House 29.
Relationships
- Aunt — His guardian after his parents’ deaths. Their relationship was strained by her treatment of him; after her son died in the beginner instance, she reported Zhu Yan to the police and wanted him dead 1 8 48.
- Younger cousin — His aunt’s biological son, also referred to as Zhu Yan’s younger brother. Zhu Yan impersonated him during their beginner instance; the cousin died after attacking him 4 5 6.
- Guan En — A police officer who initially pursued Zhu Yan. After opposing each other in two instances, they formed a reluctant alliance to seek a way to survive the plague 9 16 35 47 48.
- Walter / Plague Ghost — The Cannibal House landlord. Zhu Yan intimidated and deceived him while disguised as a high-level horror creature; Walter later discovered the trick 28 33 37.
- Pseudo-human “uncle” — The creature that took his uncle’s appearance in the beginner instance and accepted Zhu Yan as one of its kind. They met again aboard the Monster Tram 4 5 37.
Story Role & Major Arcs
Who Is the Crown Prince
Zhu Yan entered his beginner instance in his aunt’s apartment, where a Pseudo-human appeared as his uncle. By copying his cousin and acting like a Pseudo-human, he persuaded the creature and his aunt to turn against the real cousin. He cleared the instance in first place and left for Anwu City 4 5 6 7.
Cat-and-Mouse Game
Pursued by police, Zhu Yan entered an instance aboard train G3075. He posed as attendant Zhang Li, manipulated a Pseudo-human impersonating an officer and escaped the station ahead of Guan En. Both players cleared the instance, although Guan En’s colleague remained dead 11 13 16 17.
Devouring Villa
Hoping to obtain a way to establish a new identity, Zhu Yan entered Devouring Villa. He impersonated a powerful horror creature to intimidate the Cannibal House’s landlord, took the typewriter-like treasure and escaped aboard the Monster Tram. After clearing the instance, he learned he had contracted the Plague Ghost plague and had a ten-day exemption period to find a cure 24 28 35 37 39.
Search for a Plague Cure
Zhu Yan researched witches and demons as possible means of survival. He reunited with Guan En, who had also been exposed to the plague, and the two arranged a summoning ritual. While Guan En performed it, Zhu Yan intercepted Demon in an aristocratic-lady disguise and claimed a connection to the Eye of the Abyss 39 46 47 49 50.