Zhao Ke

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhao Ke (赵客)
Alias(es)	Wang Gouzi — identity assumed while posing as a paper-figure steward in the Underworld 43 44
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Postmen
Occupation/Role	Private restaurant owner and chef; low-level Postman 1 28
Status	Active
First Appearance	Package 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Postman initiate / internship participant	3	Transported into Terror Space after receiving the mysterious package; learns that completing tasks earns Post Points and permits return to reality 3 4
Post Album bearer	19	Opens his Post Album through the black bear hide and gains the Bear Coat Special Stamp 19 20
Low-level Postman	28	Completes his internship mission and receives a reward box containing Post Points, stamps, and Postman manuals 28

Background / History

Zhao Ke operates an exclusive private restaurant that opens only at midnight. The restaurant has no menu; dishes depend on ingredients he obtains himself, and its wealthy clientele book far in advance for his meticulously prepared cuisine 1 2.

A mysterious package bearing a blinking eye stamp interrupts his routine. Soon afterward, a decaying, sewn-eyed face appears at his restaurant and asks where its tongue is. The package ultimately draws Zhao Ke into Terror Space and makes him a Postman initiate 1 2 3.

He suffers from an unexplained condition involving episodes of lost time and distinct shifts in voice, demeanor, and behavior. Zhao Ke later realizes that he has no memory of purchases made during one such episode and refers to needing control over his other seven personalities 29 37 38.

Appearance

Zhao Ke has a gaunt, pale appearance that contrasts with a lean but powerful physique. His irregular sleep leaves him with uneven stubble, while his body is notably toned beneath his seemingly slender frame 37 39 40.

• Thin, gaunt face and pale complexion 37 38
• Uneven facial stubble caused by his erratic schedule 37
• Defined musculature and pronounced V-lines 39 40
• Wears a silver cross necklace 2
• Has been seen applying lipstick during an apparent episode 29 30

Personality

Zhao Ke is observant, calculating, and highly self-reliant. He rapidly studies unfamiliar people and environments, relying on scents, physical details, and behavioral inconsistencies to determine threats. He identifies the old woman as suspicious from the smell of blood and notices that Zhou Shun's climbing calluses contradict his claim of being an ordinary farmer 12 17 18.

His survival ethic is ruthless. Zhao Ke kills the office worker after she attempts to sacrifice another survivor, considers using Qi Liang as a shield against Xiong Er, kills Zhou Shun after promising to help him, and eliminates Cui Lan once she discovers he is not her master 5 15 17 49. He does not regard temporary allies as companions unless they prove useful or earn his respect.

Despite this, Zhao Ke is not uniformly cruel. Qi Liang's willingness to sacrifice himself causes Zhao Ke to abandon his plan to use him as bait, and Zhao Ke later supports Lei Ke and comforts Zhang Lei after his father’s death 15 16 29 35. His generosity is generally reserved for people he considers genuine.

Abilities & Skills

Culinary Mastery

Zhao Ke is an elite chef with exceptional knife control, ingredient handling, and sensory judgment. He treats cooking as both a craft and a practical survival skill.

• Runs a menu-less midnight restaurant known for artistic fish preparation and high-end dishes 1 2
• Prepares unusual ingredients, including bear paws and bear intestines, without hesitation 11 12 35
• Identifies ingredients and seasoning from scent alone, including the components of Crispy Tofu 45 46
• Correctly diagnoses the Ghost Chef King’s mistake: sesame masks the tofu’s intended crisp, scorched aroma 45 46
• Impresses the Ghost Chef King enough to be offered a position as assistant chef 47 48

Enhanced Sense of Smell

Zhao Ke possesses an abnormally sensitive sense of smell. It provides him with useful information, though overpowering odors cause him severe discomfort.

• Detects nearby threats, including the black bear pursuing the group 5 6
• Smells concealed blood and recognizes that the old woman’s meat is suspicious 12
• Identifies people through familiar scents, including the man connected to Xiong Er’s family 21 22
• Is intensely affected by beast dung, perfume, decay, and other strong odors 3 5

Close-Quarters Combat and Improvisation

Zhao Ke fights with decisive, practical violence rather than formal technique. He makes effective use of knives, terrain, and improvised weapons.

• Keeps a fruit knife hidden up his sleeve and holds it in a reverse grip when threatened 3 4
• Severs the bear-woman’s wrist tendons, stabs her through the back, and kills her during the fight 9 10
• Uses Xiong Er’s rage and a bamboo-speared pit trap to defeat the bear 15 16
• Uses a heavy iron pot to block the old cultivator’s bite, creating an opening to seize the Red Luo Stone 26
• Carries and evaluates blades expertly; he identifies the recovered black dagger as a high-quality killing weapon 13

Post Album

Zhao Ke’s Post Album stores, converts, and retrieves items as stamps. It also provides access to Postman functions and allows him to return from certain Terror Spaces.

• Converts scattered silver into a Normal Stamp and can summon it again afterward 19 20
• Stores survival supplies, ingredients, water, tea, and heavy objects such as an iron pot 21 22 26
• Uses the Album’s Return function to escape the snake demons after taking the Red Luo Stone 25 26
• Converts Cui Lan’s remains into the Album and obtains a headless paper-figure stamp 49
• Contains a redemption list for stamps, supernatural abilities, cultivation manuals, and spirit-possession methods 28

Bear Coat Stamp

The Bear Coat is Zhao Ke’s first documented Special Stamp and his primary physical enhancement.

• Permanently doubles his strength while equipped 19 20
• Its Bear Transformation effect costs 1 Post Point and rapidly increases his strength threefold for 15 minutes 19 20
• Has a three-hour cooldown after activation 19 20
• Lets him break a chunk from a two-inch-thick bed board with minimal effort 19 20
• Makes even a casual kick strong enough to incapacitate a beggar 21 22

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Fruit knife — concealed blade used throughout his first Terror Space 3 10
• Black dagger — heavy dagger with a red groove along its back; recovered after killing Wang Xiaochang 13
• Post Album — stamp-based storage, conversion, redemption, and return system 19 20 28
• Bear Coat Special Stamp — doubles strength and grants Bear Transformation 19 20
• Red Luo Stone — stolen from snake demons; it was fed stolen Vitality and produced hallucinations around its victims 25 26
• Spirit-medium paper ashes — conceal Zhao Ke’s Yang energy for three hours in the Underworld 43 44
• Open coffin — used as his bed; he unsuccessfully attempts to convert it into his Post Album due to its size 29 31

Relationships

• Lei Ke — childhood friend from the orphanage and a brother-like figure. Zhao Ke gives him a bank card containing 1.6 million yuan for his sister-in-law’s medical costs 29 30.
• Qi Liang — fellow Postman initiate. Zhao Ke initially considers using him as bait, but changes his mind after Qi Liang offers to hold off Xiong Er; they later exchange contact information indirectly 15 16 19 20.
• Chen Jing — psychologist and temporary survivor ally. Zhao Ke considers her careless and expendable, openly scolding and striking her for ignoring danger signs 11 12.
• Cui Lan — paper-figure spirit medium who mistakes Zhao Ke for her master, Wang Gouzi. Zhao Ke exploits the misunderstanding for information before killing her when she discovers his true identity 43 44 49 50.
• Ghost Chef King — Bai Family chef who becomes impressed by Zhao Ke’s culinary expertise and employs him as an assistant chef 47 48.
• Zhang Lei — son of Zhao Ke’s deceased vegetable supplier, Old Zhang. Zhao Ke offers him a bowl of noodles after learning of his father’s death 35 36.

Story Role / Major Arcs

First Terror Space

• Arrives in a smog-filled wilderness after receiving the Postman package and immediately arms himself with a concealed fruit knife 3 4.
• Leads survivors away from a black bear, kills the office worker who tries to sacrifice the girl with glasses, and uses her body to distract the beast 5 6.
• Exposes the old woman as a bear spirit, kills her, and prepares her paws as food 8 9 10.
• Plans the group’s response to the mission target, Xiong Er, and helps lure him into a bamboo-speared pit 11 12 15 16.
• Completes the main quest, kills Zhou Shun, and remains in the Terror Space to search for additional gains instead of immediately returning 17 18 19.

Post Album and Red Luo Stone

• Obtains the Bear Coat Stamp and learns to convert physical objects into stamps through the Post Album 19 20.
• Travels to the town below the mountain, where he serves bear meat to Xiong Da, forcing him to recognize the fate of his mother and brother 21 22.
• Investigates Zhuangyuan Tower, sees through the snake demons’ illusion, steals the Red Luo Stone, and escapes with the Album’s Return function 23 24 25 26.
• Officially becomes a low-level Postman after completing his internship mission 28.

Bai Family Ghost Marriage

• Enters an Underworld Terror Space, survives the river procession, and impersonates the paper-figure steward Wang Gouzi 39 40 43 44.
• Learns that the mission requires him to prevent the Bai Family’s ghost marriage and escape the Underworld while concealing his Yang energy 43 44.
• Refuses to join Dongzi’s group, choosing to gather information independently rather than share rewards or risk a premature confrontation 45 46.
• Gains access to the Bai Family kitchen by impressing the Ghost Chef King 45 47 48.
• Kills Cui Lan after she discovers that his arm lacks the name marking expected of a paper-figure servant 49 50.

Notable Quotes

“You’re lying!” 8

“You really are a soft-hearted fool.” 15 16

“What, your mother’s meat, tasted pretty good, didn’t it?” 15 16

Trivia

• Zhao Ke sleeps in an open coffin in his attic bedroom 29 30.
• He used a male paper figure as firewood and a female paper figure as a clothes rack before realizing the latter could transform into Cui Lan 39 40 43.
• His sensitivity to lingering scents is both a survival advantage and a source of intense distress 3 4.