Tang Yuan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Tang Yuan
Original Name	唐元
Gender	Male
Species/Race	Deceased; temporarily inhabits an Is Race body during the Great Race Is facility incident 4 7
Occupation/Role	Player and investigator of anomalous worlds
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Background / History

Tang Yuan awakens in the soft, light body of an Is Race member, moving its upper tentacles as if they were hands. He recognizes that many beings around him are other races whose bodies have been occupied or exchanged by the Great Race Is. 4

Using the ECHO Eye, he identifies Lawrence—a human trapped in an Is body—and secretly establishes contact by writing in English. Tang Yuan promises to find the Is Race’s spiritual-exchange machine and help Lawrence escape. 4

Later, he investigates an island overrun by the Butcher. Rather than immediately attempting a dangerous rescue of a captured player, Tang Yuan uses the distraction to locate voice diaries and reconstruct the island’s hidden history. 7

During a crisis involving a disease threatening the body-world, Tang Yuan leads a group to the Brain. Unable to cross the Blood-Brain Barrier, he persuades a scholar to provide disease-related memories, ultimately reinforcing his request with a threat to introduce the Blue Virus through the barrier. 20

Appearance

While occupying an Is Race body, Tang Yuan’s form is distinctly nonhuman: soft and light, with tentacles extending from the top of his body in place of ordinary hands. 4

• Appears unable to determine whether the body has eyelids. 4
• Uses tentacles to write, hold items, and communicate. 4
• Is physically categorized as a Neutrophil during the Brain incident. 20

Personality

Tang Yuan is analytical, opportunistic, and intensely practical. When a teammate is captured by the Butcher, he judges that gathering more clues offers the best chance of eventually saving everyone, even if Liu Conghui considers his cost-benefit reasoning cold. 7

He is skilled at reading motives and turning limited information into a working theory. From the voice diaries, he infers that the island’s stranded victim was deliberately abandoned by someone who expected the victim to die. 7

Tang Yuan also combines a calm manner with calculated intimidation. He presents his threat to infect the Brain with the Blue Virus as a “gentle negotiation,” frightening the scholar into providing restricted information. 20

Abilities & Skills

ECHO Eye

Tang Yuan’s right eye emits blue light when the ECHO Eye is active, allowing him to analyze targets, objects, and his surroundings. 4 7

• Identifies Lawrence and evaluates his deteriorating mental state and Sanity Value. 4
• Provides action guidelines when Tang Yuan must decide whether to approach Lawrence or remove nearby Great Race Is first. 4
• Detects and identifies Is Race food as “Is Liquid.” 4
• Helps him rapidly locate radios containing voice diaries in the Butcher’s territory. 7

Investigation and Deduction

Tang Yuan systematically collects evidence and interprets its implications.

• Locates and plays multiple voice diaries, increasing the group’s deciphered understanding of the island’s world view from 20% to 30%. 7
• Infers that the diarist was abandoned on the island and likely became a resentful spirit after death, though he does not prematurely conclude that the spirit is the Butcher. 7
• Questions why the Butcher guards a captive instead of immediately killing them, reasoning that every action must have an underlying purpose. 7

Negotiation and Manipulation

Tang Yuan can obtain cooperation through persuasion, deception, and controlled threats.

• Manipulates an Is Race member into leaving the data room by claiming hunger, creating an opening to contact Lawrence. 4
• Uses Qi Zhi’s appeal to shared purpose alongside his own threat involving the Blue Virus to compel a Brain scholar to reveal restricted memories. 20
• Predicts Wang Tianyi’s hostile reaction after placing a Blue Virus hat on him and evades his attempt to grab him. 46

Resource Management

Tang Yuan habitually collects unusual materials for future use.

• Stores approximately twenty packs of Is Liquid in his backpack after discovering the facility’s supply. 4
• Adds Is Liquid to the Ingredient Compendium as a sweet, water-like liquid that restores stamina. 4
• Collects psilocybin mushrooms as a potential new ingredient while investigating the island. 7

Equipment / Items

• ECHO Eye — Analysis ability used to identify targets, items, and environmental clues. 4 7
• Backpack — Stores collected supplies, including packs of Is Liquid. 4
• Is Liquid — Sweet Is Race food; each consumed pack restores 10 Stamina. 4
• Blue Virus hat — A virus-like item Tang Yuan uses to threaten the Brain scholar and later places on Wang Tianyi as part of a plan. 20 46
• Psilocybin mushrooms — Collected from the island ruins for possible use as an ingredient. 7
• Pen and paper — Used to communicate with Lawrence in English without alerting nearby Great Race Is. 4

Relationships

• Lawrence — Fellow human trapped in an Is Race body. Tang Yuan identifies him through his use of English and pledges to find a way to save him. 4
• Liu Conghui — Investigation partner during the Butcher incident. She initially questions Tang Yuan’s decision not to mount an immediate rescue, but accepts his logic after he explains the need for more clues. 7
• Qi Zhi — Ally during the Brain investigation. She supports Tang Yuan’s attempt to obtain the scholar’s memories and trusts that he has a plan. 20
• Qi Xiu — Member of Tang Yuan’s group during the Brain incident; Qi Zhi stops him from retreating because Tang Yuan has not given up. 20
• Wang Tianyi — Companion subjected to Tang Yuan’s Blue Virus hat tactic. Wang Tianyi reacts with anger, while Tang Yuan treats the act as a necessary part of his plan. 46
• Brain scholar — Initially refuses to share restricted disease records, but complies after Tang Yuan’s implied threat to release the Blue Virus. 20

Story Role / Major Arcs

Great Race Is Facility

Tang Yuan investigates the Great Race Is facility while inhabiting an Is Race body. He finds Lawrence, communicates with him in English, and begins searching for the spiritual-exchange machine needed for their escape. 4

Butcher Investigation

While another player distracts the Butcher, Tang Yuan and Liu Conghui recover voice diaries and examine the island’s mystery. His findings establish that a sick individual was abandoned there by someone who wanted them dead. 7

Brain Disease Investigation

Tang Yuan’s group reaches the Brain seeking information on a rapidly mutating disease. He bypasses the Brain’s information restrictions not by entering the Blood-Brain Barrier, but by forcing a scholar to bring relevant memories out to him. 20

Blue Virus Plan

Tang Yuan places the Blue Virus hat on Wang Tianyi, claiming that the virus cannot infect him and that the move is necessary for their plan. 46

Notable Quotes

“Every action stems from a motive.” 7

“When looking at anything, you need to think from the fundamental perspective.” 7

“Gentle negotiation combined with appropriate threats is extremely effective.” 20