Tong Guan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tong Guan (潼关)
Species/Race	Human; later subjected to ghost assimilation and became the master of the Room 1002 supernatural incident 590 1404
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Seventh Branch; formerly of the defunct Branch No. 11 24
Occupation/Role	Senior Staff member; Vice Branch Manager of the Seventh Branch 903 1387
Status	Deceased; his severed head was placed on a scarecrow at Tianbao Repair Shop, and Chang Nian later visited his grave 1709 1713
First Appearance	Chapter 24

Background / History

Tong Guan is a native of Huhai City who paid particular attention to unusual cases, including the long-unsolved “One One One Eight” serial dismemberment case. 316 He arrived at the Seventh Branch with his wife, Chang Nian, after Branch No. 11 closed down. Their arrival immediately unsettled Ji Li and Fang Shenyan, who recognized Tong Guan as an unusually composed and capable newcomer. 24

The disappearance and death of Tong Guan’s parents became the central unresolved wound of his life. He associated their fate with Black Robed Figures and an old acquaintance from Huhai, while remaining wary of Ji Li’s connection to the matter. 27 1303 During the Old Yu Street mission, he finally learned that Ji Li had murdered his parents. 1404

Appearance

Tong Guan has sharp, well-defined features rather than a conventionally striking face. Though not physically imposing, the heroic quality of his brows gives him a reassuring presence. 24

• Narrow, phoenix-like eyes with an undimmed glint even under supernatural pressure. 24
• A relatively slight frame that contrasts with his dependable bearing. 24
• Usually appears neat and composed, though missions frequently leave him bloodied or severely injured. 113 590

Personality

Tong Guan is a calm, analytical planner who habitually reconstructs mission rules, spatial layouts, and ghost behavior from limited information. He can make rapid deductions under pressure, such as identifying moonlight as the link between void spaces, mapping unfamiliar museum floors, and uncovering the Yin World’s re-smelting cycle. 107 583 1387

Unlike Fang Shenyan’s mission-first pragmatism, Tong Guan normally considers the safety and input of his entire team. He shares intelligence, consults allies, and repeatedly risks himself to locate or protect Chang Nian. 93 110 566 His concern can become a weakness: Chang Nian’s safety is often his first priority, even when it conflicts with broader mission objectives. 110 1524

His restraint does not make him harmless. Tong Guan is willing to gamble on extreme plans, sacrifice his body, alter timelines, and act independently when he believes he has found the only viable path. 383 585 1684 The revelation concerning his parents intensified his stubbornness, leaving him determined to settle his debts with Ji Li despite the psychological damage the pursuit caused him. 1675

Abilities & Skills

Strategic Analysis

Tong Guan excels at identifying hidden rules and turning supernatural hazards against one another.

• Deduced that separated Staff in a void space could reconnect through the movement of moonlight. 107
• Recognized the ghosts’ sacrificial objective at Bogou Building and moved to disrupt it before Ji Li returned. 109 110
• Used time travel and a plan to make himself Mu Nianmei’s vessel in an attempt to capture Wang Ruili. 383
• Determined that the World Heritage Museum’s spatial shifts were triggered by living people. 566
• Deduced the Giant Furnace’s role in transferring ghosts between the Yin and Yang Worlds. 1387
• Identified Wang Xian as a critical variable after gaining an observer-like perspective in the Clock Repair Shop incident. 1684

White Candle

A powerful Sin Item that first fused with Tong Guan’s left hand during the Shanming University mission. It possesses bidirectional time-and-space functions and cannot be separated from its user. 355

• Sent the ghostified Xiao Lan back to the Script world by extinguishing the candle, at the cost of both of Tong Guan’s hands. 355
• Can transport Tong Guan to timelines he personally experienced, allowing him two minutes to alter events. 1401
• Cannot change his location while travelling through time. 1401
• Allowed Tong Guan to use a third candle to restrain the Room 1002 incident and prioritize Chang Nian’s survival over vengeance. 1404
• Was later exchanged to Yu Guo after Tong Guan’s Space Map evolved. 903

Space Map

A Sin Item associated with spatial manipulation and ghost restriction. After consuming the Broken-winged Angel within Tong Guan, it merged with that ghost and gained both spatial and soul-related effects. 591 903

• Can temporarily restrict ghosts and was used to consume the Broken-winged Angel’s presence inside Tong Guan. 591
• Can be used to survey and manipulate a large area, including Branch No. 2. 1522
• Its information may become unreliable when affected by the Ragdoll Female Ghost’s interference. 1522 1523
• Is stored in Tong Guan’s mind after its fusion, preventing him from returning the original Space Map to Yu Guo. 903

Room 1002 Incident

After confronting the truth behind his parents and the Room 1002 ghost, Tong Guan became the master of the incident. 1404

• Grants him influence over a complete supernatural incident tied to his own unresolved emotions. 1404
• Protected him while he was isolated in the Yin World and enabled him to gather information about Old Yu Street. 1399
• Its immense negative emotions can overwhelm its apparent controllability and threaten to control Tong Guan instead. 1404

Fieldcraft

Tong Guan is proficient with practical mission tools and improvised countermeasures.

• Used a radar tracker to locate Chang Nian and identify a half-human, half-ghost target. 110
• Carried a short knife and moved alone through ghost-infested territory to search for Chang Nian. 110
• Used an umbrella Sin Item to forcibly absorb a ghost, neutralize its attacks, and imprison it for up to ten minutes. 237
• Used fire to target a ghost’s painted source in the World Heritage Museum. 569

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• White Candle — Time-and-space Sin Item fused with Tong Guan’s hand; later used to alter timelines and control the Room 1002 incident. 355 1401 1404
• Space Map — Spatial Sin Item that evolved after merging with the Broken-winged Angel. 591 903
• Umbrella Sin Item — Can absorb and trap a ghost for up to ten minutes. 237
• Radar detector and trackers — Used to locate Chang Nian and detect supernatural targets. 110
• Yin Yang Offering Incense — Used to strip away Room 1002’s illusion and expose its true state. 1402
• Short knife — Tong Guan’s regular close-combat weapon during early missions. 110

Relationships

• Chang Nian — His wife and primary emotional anchor. Tong Guan repeatedly endangered himself to locate or save her, while Chang Nian remained fiercely protective of him. 24 110 903
• Ji Li — Initially a tense rival and suspected link to Tong Guan’s parents’ fate; later appointed Tong Guan Vice Branch Manager. Tong Guan eventually learned Ji Li had murdered his parents, deepening their unresolved conflict. 24 903 1404
• Yu Guo — A trusted mission partner. They escaped the void-space wells together, cooperated against ghosts, and Yu Guo later healed Tong Guan’s mental injuries. 107 109 924
• Fang Shenyan — Began as a wary counterpart whose priorities sharply differed from Tong Guan’s. Their relationship developed into mutual respect during the museum mission. 566 598
• Xie Zheng — A capable teammate whose intelligence Tong Guan greatly respected. They worked together during the Shanming University Script mission and investigated the Mu Nianmei case. 349 378
• Hong Fu — A teammate during the World Heritage Museum promotion mission. Hong Fu supported Tong Guan’s plan against the Lotus Leaf Ghost, but later became a crucial link in Tong Guan’s death as an Internal Ghost. 588 1713

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival at the Seventh Branch

Tong Guan and Chang Nian joined the Seventh Branch after Branch No. 11’s closure. His confidence during the Bogou Building mission immediately established him as a major force within the branch, although Ji Li and Fang Shenyan treated him with caution. 24 27

Bogou Building and the Void Wells

During the Bogou Building mission, Tong Guan was separated from Chang Nian in a void-like well space. He and Yu Guo discovered that moonlight created temporary connections between adjacent wells, giving the trapped Staff a route to reunite. 107 He later split from Yu Guo to search for Chang Nian, relying on a tracker and accepting the danger as a personal burden. 110

Shanming University and Mu Nianmei

In the Shanming University mission, Tong Guan played Xiao Hong in a supernatural Script and worked closely with Xie Zheng and Yu Xing to identify the false world’s rules. 349 353 The White Candle fused with his hand when he confronted ghostified Xiao Lan, giving him access to time-and-space manipulation at the cost of his hands. 355 He subsequently travelled through time and attempted to use himself as Mu Nianmei’s vessel to capture Wang Ruili. 383

World Heritage Museum Promotion Mission

As the senior member among several newcomers, Tong Guan led the Seventh Branch’s mission to steal the painting Skin. 553 He formulated the “Six Ghosts Entanglement” plan: lure the Broken-winged Angel through the six fixed exhibition halls and use it to destroy the ghosts anchoring the museum. 584 585

The plan cost him his sight and severely damaged his body. 587 588 The Broken-winged Angel then assimilated him, but the Space Map devoured the ghost’s presence and restored his control. 590 591 Tong Guan’s eventual fusion of the Space Map and Broken-winged Angel produced a new Sin Item with spatial and soul effects. 903

Vice Branch Manager and External Ghost Investigation

After returning to the Seventh Branch, Tong Guan was appointed Vice Branch Manager by Ji Li. 903 He later joined other Branch Managers in investigating the External Ghost Faction, escaped their capture, and returned mentally scarred by the faction’s dream-inducing core. 924

Old Yu Street and Room 1002

Trapped in Heavenly River Public Cemetery and the Yin World, Tong Guan used the Room 1002 incident to observe and influence the Old Yu Street mission. 1303 1383 He devised a plan to exploit the Giant Furnace and the Ghost Tide’s nightly re-smelting process to breach the boundary between the Yin and Yang Worlds. 1387

After discovering that changing the past could not save Chang Nian, Tong Guan confronted the Room 1002 ghost directly. 1402 Learning the truth of his parents’ murder gave him control of the incident, but he rejected immediate vengeance against Ji Li and used the third White Candle to save Chang Nian instead. 1404

Final Conflict and Death

During the conflict at Branch No. 2, Tong Guan used the Space Map to investigate the Ragdoll Female Ghost’s distortion of information and fought despite severe poisoning from a Sin Item saber. 1522 1524 His later obsession with his parents and unresolved debt with Ji Li led him into the Clock Repair Shop, where he vanished after leaving a call connected to Li Guanqi. 1675

Tong Guan was later confirmed dead when Chang Nian found his head mounted on one of six scarecrows at Tianbao Repair Shop. 1709