Li Dan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Li Dan (李旦)
Alias(es)	Li; Lee 23
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Age	18 31
Affiliation	Church Exorcist; associate of Ed and Lorraine Warren 34 43
Occupation/Role	Chinese international student; Ghost Card wielder and exorcist 1 43
Residence	Collingwood Manor, near Round Clam Town, Florida 28 34
Status	Alive 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Two-series Ghost Card access	1	After being struck by lightning, Li Dan gains a Ghost Card deck. The 54-card system is divided into Diamond, Heart, Spade, and Club categories; only the Two series is initially usable.
Two of Hearts—first containment	2–3	Contains a near-death Deformed Person, then learns he can release, command, and fuse with it. Fusion multiplies his physical ability and lets the creature retain use of its original weapons.
First ability extraction	4	Contains Mutated Ogres and draws Vision Enhancement, granting limited night-vision-like sight.
Fourth sequence unlocked	12	Contains injured Wendigos in Bolehan Cave, reaching eight controlled subordinates and unlocking the fourth sequence.
Diamond Four—Evil Spirit Wendigo	16	Contains the near-death Evil Spirit Wendigo after the cave explosion. Fusion grants overwhelming strength and access to its bone-spike second form.
Club Five—Soul Severing Clown	27	Contains Art after researching the limits of his fragmented immortality. The containment releases the entire Series Six.
Four of Clubs—Bat Person	38	Restrains the bulletproof, flying Bat Person with the Evil Spirit Wendigo, then seals it using two cards.
Ace functions unlocked	50	Diamond Ace provides personal storage space; Club Ace permits unlimited containment-type cards.

Background

Li Dan was a Chinese international student at Round Clam Public School when lightning struck him while he watched horror commentary videos. The incident placed a deck of Ghost Cards in his mind, which could detect supernatural traces and eventually contain anomalous beings. His first warning came when the cards detected traces of the Ghost Nun after he encountered a Vatican priest. 1

Realizing that North America was filled with monsters, evil spirits, demons, and murderers, Li Dan decided that survival required using horror against horror. He began seeking containable entities rather than relying on conventional protection. 1

During a trip to North Carolina, he encountered the cannibals from Wrong Turn. He returned alone to their cabin to contain an injured Deformed Person, beginning his use of supernatural subordinates and ability extraction. 2 4

Appearance

Li Dan is an 18-year-old Chinese man described as tall, handsome, and naturally fair-skinned. His appearance, wealth, and composed manner draw attention from classmates and strangers alike. 1 20 31

• Naturally fair complexion. 1
• Often regarded as handsome by Jennifer, Trish, Heather, and other women. 6 29 39
• Wore black camouflage Special Forces gear during the Bolehan Cave expedition. 7
• Used a custom-made Vampire costume for Halloween. 29
• Can assume monstrous forms by fusing with contained entities. 22 40

Personality

Li Dan is pragmatic, cautious, and strongly motivated by self-preservation. He prepares heavily for threats he expects to have physical forms, purchasing firearms, armor, explosives, lighting equipment, and protective gear before entering Bolehan Cave. 7 8 He does not trust divine protection and instead treats containment power as the only reliable defense against the supernatural. 1 4

His caution does not prevent him from taking calculated risks. Once he has sufficient resources or subordinates, he is willing to investigate lethal situations for valuable containment targets, including the Evil Spirit Wendigo, Art the Clown, and the Bat Person. 12 16 27 38

Li Dan can be ruthless toward hostile entities. He restrained and dissected Art to determine how the clown's immortality worked, continuing until Art became containable. 27 However, he also protects people he considers worth helping, including his classmates, Beth, Martin, Rebecca, and the police officers threatened by the Bat Person. 3 16 37 46

Abilities & Skills

Ghost Cards

Li Dan's primary power is a deck of Ghost Cards that detects, contains, releases, commands, and fuses supernatural entities. The deck originally contains 54 cards divided into Diamond, Heart, Spade, and Club suits. 1

• Detects supernatural traces, including the Ghost Nun, Jennifer's demon, and Evil Spirit Diana. 1 19 46
• Can contain entities once they are sufficiently weakened or otherwise meet the system's conditions. 2 16 27
• Allows contained beings to be released as controllable subordinates. 3 37
• Can store equipment with a contained being if that being is capable of using it; Li Dan successfully equips a Deformed Person with an M16. 8
• Containment can fail against targets that are too powerful, undamaged, or protected by unusual traits such as immortality. 14 27
• Ability information becomes less clear as his number of contained entities increases. 50

Fusion

Li Dan can fuse with a contained entity or an extracted ability, temporarily gaining its physical traits and powers.

• Deformed Person fusion — Increases strength by roughly two to three times, reduces pain sensitivity, improves recovery, and enhances vision. 3
• Evil Spirit Wendigo fusion — Grants immense physical power; Li Dan describes it as enough strength to kill Mutated Ogres casually. 16
• Terror Transformation Stage Two — Causes crimson bone spurs and bone blades to erupt from his body, dramatically improving combat power. 22
• Bat Person fusion — Gives him a bat-like form, high-speed flight, enhanced speed, and enhanced strength. Daylight causes severe discomfort and an urge to seek darkness. 40

Extracted Abilities

• Vision Enhancement — Provides limited night vision, allowing Li Dan to see paths through darkness. 4
• Limb Enhancement and Hearing Enhancement — Extracted from Wendigos after he rejected Bloodlust, Intelligence Weakening, and Evil Spirit Possession during an earlier draw. 12
• Evil Spirit Possession — An active ability extracted from the Evil Spirit Wendigo; Li Dan considers it safer than a passive possession effect because he can choose when to activate it. 17
• Immortality (Fragmented) — Drawn from the Bat Person. It grants rapid healing that consumes stamina. 39 40
• Curse Transmission — Drawn from Art. A recorded videotape can function as a marker that permits escape from a supernatural or dangerous location while it is playing. 46

Exorcist Status

Li Dan seeks Church recognition because an exorcist identity gives him legal and social access to supernatural cases without attracting suspicion. 34 After passing the Church's assessment with the Warrens' recommendation, he officially registers as an Exorcist. 42 43

Contained Entities

Entity	Card / Status	Use and outcome
Deformed Person	Two of Hearts	Li Dan's first containment. It obeys commands, can use a bow and arrows, and serves as the basis for his first fusion experiments. 2 3
Mutated Ogres	Multiple early cards	Used as guards and ability sources; their containments provide Li Dan with Vision Enhancement. 4
Wendigos	Multiple cards	Li Dan builds a force of eight subordinates in Bolehan Cave, though most are destroyed during the battle with the Evil Spirit Wendigo. 12 15
Evil Spirit Wendigo	Diamond Four	A bloodthirsty evil-spirit incarnation with Soul Devour, Bloodlust, Evil Spirit Possession, Physique Enhancement, and Thorn Bone Spikes. 16 17
Soul Severing Clown / Art	Club Five	Fragmentarily immortal killer used as a scout, bait, and combat subordinate. 27 37 47
Bat Person	Four of Clubs	Bulletproof flying creature with Bat Wings, radar, hibernation, DNA repair, immune regulation, high-temperature tolerance, and fragmented immortality. 38 39
Evil Spirit Diana	Contained	A shadow-based entity that uses Shadow Step, Malice, Fear Devour, Assimilation, and Skin Swap. Li Dan traps her through the skin she attempts to shed. 49 50

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Ghost Card deck. 1
• M16 rifle, provided in advance for the Bolehan Cave expedition. 7 8
• Black camouflage combat suit and anti-infrared camouflage cover. 7
• Two Rocloc pistols. 7
• M67 grenades and a high-explosive grenade. 7
• Bayonet, folding entrenching shovel, flashlight, magazine pouches, and LC backpack. 7
• Handgun used while searching for Art and rescuing Dawn. 26
• Videotape recording and playback equipment for Curse Transmission. 46

Relationships

• Jennifer — Li Dan initially avoids her because he knows she may become demon-possessed, but later agrees to help her and becomes her boyfriend. Jennifer is intensely possessive and relies on him for protection. 6 17 19 23 43
• Jessie — Friend and early admirer. She becomes attached to Li Dan after witnessing his strength, but he does not reciprocate her romantic interest. 2 4
• Beth — Teacher and Bolehan Cave survivor. She treats Li Dan and Sam with maternal concern, while Li Dan protects her during the Wendigo incident. 8 16 17
• Sam — Fellow international student whose cave-exploration invitation brings Li Dan into the events of The Descent. 6 7
• Ed and Lorraine Warren — Paranormal investigators who recognize Li Dan's potential, recommend him to the Church, and later seek his assistance with Annabelle. 33 34 42 43
• Daley — Travel companion during the Bat Person incident. He comes to view Li Dan as an exorcist and looks up to him after witnessing the containment. 34 37 38
• Trish — Daley's sister. She admires Li Dan's knowledge and strength, later pursuing a relationship with him despite knowing he has a girlfriend. 34 39
• Emma — Neighbor David's daughter. Li Dan tolerates her visits and tries to correct her behavior, while Emma becomes fascinated with his power and hostile toward Jennifer. 40 43 44
• Art / Soul Severing Clown — Contained subordinate. Li Dan treats Art harshly during research, but continues using him in dangerous operations. 27 47 49
• Rebecca and Martin — Clients seeking help against Diana. Martin sees Li Dan as a protector, and Li Dan ultimately contains the entity haunting their family. 44 46 49

Story Role / Major Arcs

Wrong Turn Incident

Li Dan's North Carolina trip becomes his first confrontation with supernatural killers. He contains a Deformed Person, protects Scott and the others, defeats the Mutated Ogre leader through controlled underlings, and gains Vision Enhancement from the captured Ogres. 2 4

Bolehan Cave Expedition

Joining Sam, Juno, Beth, and the other explorers, Li Dan enters Bolehan Cave with military equipment and contained guards. He builds a Wendigo force, survives the Evil Spirit Wendigo's assault, and contains the near-death creature after an explosion. 7 16

Jennifer's Haunting and Art's Containment

Li Dan attempts to protect Jennifer from a demonic presence in her home, but the encounter with the Slender Ghost Shadow forces him to sacrifice a Deformed Person to escape its barrier-like world. 19 23 He then investigates Art the Clown, researches the limits of Art's immortality through dissection, and seals him in Club Five. 26 27

Church Recognition and the Bat Person

After meeting the Warrens, Li Dan pursues official exorcist status for the authority and access it provides. 33 34 He later uses Art as bait and the Evil Spirit Wendigo as a restraining force to contain the Bat Person after it devastates a police operation. 37 39

Diana Case

Operating as an exorcist, Li Dan responds to Rebecca's request for help against Diana. He coordinates Art and the Bat Person during the confrontation, discovers Diana's dependence on a living skin, and seals her before she can escape it. 44 47 49 50

Notable Quotes

“Alright Jessie, I don't believe in God. Let's just leave here first.” 4

“I'm an Exorcist. This monster is my containment, you might not believe it, but that's the truth.” 37

Trivia

• Li Dan's classmates and acquaintances commonly call him either “Li” or “Lee.” 23
• Despite rumors about inheritance, Collingwood Manor was purchased by Li Dan from a fallen wealthy family rather than inherited. 28
• Li Dan does not drive; he says his butler considers driving dangerous, and he later notes that he lacks a driver's license. 34 40
• He gives several friends Chinese-style names at their request, despite those not being their English names. 20